McKinney Recall Fight Escalates as Keith Self Backs Effort, Fuller and Hunt Push Back

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

MCKINNEY, Texas – U.S. Rep. Keith Self says he will sign the petition seeking to recall four McKinney elected officials and is urging residents to join him.

Self’s decision puts the TX-03 congressman directly into a fight over McKinney’s local government.

Self: ‘I Will Have Your Back’

“Sign the petition, win or lose,” Self said in a video released Saturday. “This is a statement to the City Council that they cannot ignore the citizens of McKinney.”

Self said recall supporters are facing “intimidation,” “bullying tactics” and “threats,” comparing their experience to what conservatives face in Washington.

“I stand with you. I will have your back,” Self said. “If the threats of intimidation and retribution come true, I will have your back.”

Self did not identify specific threats or who was responsible for them.

His involvement follows his appearance before the McKinney City Council earlier this month, when he urged members to reject the McKinney Islamic Association site plan. City staff said the plan met applicable development standards and the council unanimously approved it.

The recall effort was filed days after the council vote.

Fuller: ‘There Is an Important Distinction’

Former McKinney Mayor George Fuller posted about the recall Friday, noting that the petition becomes a public record and arguing that people seeking to remove elected officials should be prepared to publicly stand behind that decision.

Self’s comments came a day later.

“I can’t speak to Congressman Self’s intent or say whether his comments were directed at me,” Fuller said. “If he believes my post constituted intimidation, bullying, or a threat, he should say so directly and explain specifically what he believes was threatening about it.”

Fuller said his point was straightforward: signing a recall petition is a political act and the petition is a public record.

“There is an important distinction between retaliation and accountability,” Fuller said. “Saying that a person’s participation in a public political process is public and may therefore be discussed publicly is not intimidation.”

He also drew a line between political criticism and actual threats.

“If anyone is actually threatening petition signers, I condemn that without qualification,” Fuller said.

Fuller also responded to Self’s call to sign the petition “win or lose” as a way of sending a message to the City Council.

“I think the more important question is what message elected officials are supposed to take from it,” Fuller said. “The Council’s responsibility is to follow the law, not to disregard it because a particular decision is politically unpopular.”

Fuller said the council did not have the discretion to reject a compliant site plan simply because residents opposed the project.

“If the message is that council members should ignore their legal obligations when enough political pressure is applied, that is a troubling precedent,” Fuller said. “We should expect elected officials to follow the law even when doing so is unpopular.”

Self’s promise to “have your back” also caught Fuller’s attention.

“A member of Congress invoking his office in a municipal recall raises a fair question about what federal role he believes exists here and what action he is suggesting he would take,” Fuller said.

Fuller said the same political rights apply to both sides of the recall fight.

“Free speech and political participation run in both directions,” Fuller said. “People have the right to sign a recall petition. Other citizens have the right to know who is seeking to remove their elected representatives and to criticize or disagree with that effort.”

“Neither side has a right to threaten or harass the other, but disagreement, scrutiny, and political accountability are not themselves intimidation.”

Hunt Calls It a ‘Serious Overreach’

Evan Hunt, the Democrat challenging Self for the TX-03 congressional seat in November, called Self’s involvement a “serious overreach.”

“Keith Self is using the platform of a federal office to encourage the removal of locally elected officials because he disagrees with a local decision,” Hunt said. “He’s not standing up to bullies. He’s enabling them.”

Hunt accused Self of using the controversy for political purposes.

“This is political theater designed to energize his Christian nationalist base before an election because he has no record to run on,” Hunt said.

Hunt criticized Self’s record in Congress, saying he has failed to bring the community together, control the deficit, lower costs or bring federal money back to the district.

“This is what happens when your Representative answers to special interests, big money, and party leadership,” Hunt said.

He said the decision over McKinney’s leadership should remain with McKinney voters.

“McKinney elected its own leaders,” Hunt said. “A member of Congress should represent the community, not inflame a local fight and punish officials who won’t bend to his political agenda.”

Questions Remain

The video does not identify who is allegedly threatening or intimidating petition supporters, and no specific incidents are described. It is also unclear what “I will have your back” means if supporters face the retaliation he warned about.

TX3DNews contacted Self for clarification but did not receive a response before publication.