Top political aide to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller arrested in alleged scheme to take money in exchange for hemp licenses

[coyotes_geek]

The top political consultant to Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was arrested Thursday on allegations that he participated in a scheme to solicit money and campaign contributions for state hemp licenses issued by Miller’s Texas Department of Agriculture.

The consultant, Todd Smith, ultimately took $55,000 as part of the scheme, an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Texas Tribune says. Smith and others involved in the scheme are alleged in the warrant to have solicited a total of $150,000 to guarantee a license, including a $25,000 upfront cost for a survey that they said was required to get a license in Texas. Some of the money would also go toward funding unnamed political campaigns, according to the affidavit.

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/05/07/sid-miller-todd-smith/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1620407227&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR39QuBwlVV1mEsvPXOQKIr3Y4ZCYGsz7WYr01kNn 4QNZzIqHTD__rNfNl0

[Winehole23]

Ye olde fashioned grafte.

Ken Paxton's legal problems seem to be deepening too.

[boutons_deux]

just :lol :lol :lol

the question will the prosecution be serious or fake?

Will the TX Atty Gen'l (who has no attorney license) intervene?

[Winehole23]

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/05/07/sid-miller-todd-smith/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1620407227&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR39QuBwlVV1mEsvPXOQKIr3Y4ZCYGsz7WYr01kNn 4QNZzIqHTD__rNfNl0


The top political consultant to Agriculture Commissioner SidMiller was arrested Thursday on allegations that he participated in a scheme to solicit money and campaign contributions for state hemp licenses issued by Miller’s Texas Department of Agriculture.

The consultant, Todd Smith, ultimately took $55,000 as part of the scheme, an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Texas Tribune says. Smith and others involved in the scheme are alleged in the warrant to have solicited a total of $150,000 to guarantee a license, including a $25,000 upfront cost for a survey that they said was required to get a license in Texas. Some of the money would also go toward funding unnamed political campaigns, accordingRehired!


A Travis County warrant confirmed Todd Smith was arrested in April of 2021 (https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/top-political-aide-to-texas-agriculture-commissioner-sid-miller-arrested-in-alleged-scheme-to-take-money-in-exchange-for-hemp-licenses/269-8fdfa154-5fb7-4e9a-b906-33a172e3d811).

Court documents detail a Texas Rangers investigation accusing Smith of soliciting money from farmers and business owners in exchange for hemp licenses (https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/sid-miller-todd-smith-hemp-licenses-indicted-ag-department/269-c42fd415-890f-44e0-9d39-098a2ad81d00). Records show Smith solicited $150,000 from various applications, though hemp licenses are capped at $100 under state law.


Court documents also note Smith was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution, and his case was able to be dismissed after two years of probation.

I get that people deserve second chances, but to reappoint someone who sold the official services of the state back to government boggles. Maybe give them a job doing something else.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/texas-statewide-offices/todd-smith-sid-miller-rehires-bribed-aides-texas-agriculture-commissioner/269-3856be84-0089-43cf-a8ae-e8feed1d6d34

[z0sa]

Don't trust the guy on your gas station certified sticker.

[Winehole23]

Don't trust the guy on your gas station certified sticker.Republicans are allergic to basic governance. If you subtract the culture war dipshittery and the self-dealing, there's not much left but boots and belt-buckles.

[Winehole23]

Sid Miller is the underdog in this race, he's being challenged by a former supporter, Nate Sheets


In his second term, his longtime political consultant, Todd Smith, was indicted (https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/18/sid-miller-todd-smith-hemp-licenses-indicted-ag-department/) for commercial bribery and theft for trying to sell hemp licenses regulated by Miller’s agency. Miller was never implicated, and he went on to easily win a third term in office. (https://www.texastribune.org/2022/11/09/sid-miller-susan-hays-texas-agriculture-commissioner/)


But this time, his GOP colleagues appear to have lost their patience with Miller. After Smith pleaded guilty, Miller installed him as chief of staff (https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/25/texas-agriculture-department-todd-smith-sid-miller-hemp-licenses-2/) at the Department of Agriculture, the second-highest-paid employee in the 755-person agency. Last year, The Texas Tribune reported (https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/31/sid-miller-hemp-dea-texas-marijuana-gummies/) a former friend told law enforcement that Miller asked him to dispose of marijuana cigarettes and gummies after hearing that federal drug enforcement agents were investigating him. And law enforcement interviews also revealed multiple complaints from agriculture department staff about Miller’s continued closeness to Smith. Miller has defended Smith’s hiring and called the criminal case against him “Democrat lawfare.”https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/06/texas-agriculture-commissioner-sid-miller-nate-sheets-2026-gop-primary/

[Winehole23]

can't recall Gov. Abbott having such strong words for Ken Paxton


Trump — his most powerful ally — has been noticeably silent in the most difficult election of Miller’s career. And other sitting Republican officeholders are publicly attacking him, on accusations of being corrupt and ineffective.


Perhaps most perilous to his reelection — Gov. Greg Abbott (https://directory.texastribune.org/greg-abbott/), the de facto Republican leader of the state and an influential campaign powerhouse — has been shouting from the rooftops that Miller is undeserving of another term.


“He’s been an utter failure in his job as Ag Commissioner,” Abbott said on a conservative radio show last month. “There are character flaws with him that do not reflect positively on the state of Texas.”

[Winehole23]

lol state Republicans tolerating open graft and self-dealing for four years before pissing backwards on Sid Miller