Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday called for the creation of a chief state prosecutor to rein in local district attorneys who he asserted "refuse to prosecute."
In a post on X, Abbott pointed to the case of Michael Nnaji, who has reportedly faced 34 cases since 2019 without a single jury trial, including charges tied to an alleged threat earlier this year to massacre elementary school students.
"I am calling for legislation that creates a Chief State Prosecutor to actually prosecute criminals like this that DAs in places like Austin refuse to prosecute. Progressive DAs are literally leading to the murder of Texans," Abbott said in the post.
According to community watchdog Austin Justice, seven felony evading arrest cases against Nnaji were either dismissed or reduced, along with four burglary charges, while a robbery charge was reduced to a misdemeanor.
According to Austin Justice, Nnaji was released on bond after allegedly threatening Padrón Elementary students, failed to appear in court, and was later arrested for trespassing Dec. 3 — a charge prosecutors dismissed five days later despite him remaining a fugitive.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza, whose campaign was linked to funding by groups backed by George Soros, campaigned on progressive criminal justice reform and prosecuting police misconduct.
His tenure has focused on diversion programs, gun-violence strategies, and victim services, but critics fault missed deadlines, strained police relations, and controversial decisions tied to his Soros-funded campaign network.
According to Austin Justice, Nnaji's only prison sentence was a two-year plea deal for aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, an offense that can carry up to 20 years for repeat offenders.
"Those DAs must be held accountable and prosecutorial power must be shifted to actual prosecutors," Abbott concluded his post.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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