For several weeks, local journalists have stressed that Councilmember Carol Alvarado was not the subject of the investigation by the Office of Inspector General.
As it turns out, KHOU-11’s Jeff McShan reports that there was an institutional reason that Alvarado was not investigated by OIG:
The investigation into mayor pro-tem Carol Alvarado’s office is far from over.
If you have been following the City Hall probe, you know that the Office Of Inspector General (O.I.G.) was completed and sent to the district attorney’s office last Friday.
But what you may not know is the Inspector General’s office is limited as what it can investigate.
Sources tell 11 News that elected officials are “off limits”, meaning that the mayor pro-tem, who temporarily stepped aside Monday, could not be thoroughly investigated.
For example, the O.I.G., 11 News was told, looked into the bank accounts of the four employees who worked for Alvarado, but not hers.
Sources said that in fact, the district attorney’s office will start a whole new investigation into the unauthorized bonuses scam that has been plaguing city hall for weeks.
It will be interesting to see what Chuck Rosenthal’s Public Integrity Unit uncovers. But Alvarado shouldn’t sweat too much. Having Rusty Hardin in your corner is pretty good insurance.
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