Fort Bend County Judge KP George announces he's switching to Republican Party
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- After months of rumors, embattled Fort Bend County Judge KP George has confirmed he's switching political parties.
The twice-elected Democrat announced he's becoming a Republican during a Wednesday morning news conference at a Sugar Land Hampton Inn.
"I came to this country as an adult. I am not born and raised neither Republican nor a Democrat," he said during the press conference. "I chose a side and it turned out to be the wrong place, and now I'm fixing it."
"Like President Trump, I will stand up and fight against the radical leftists," George said.
George has been under indictment since September for allegedly creating racist social media posts against himself under a fake profile to garner sympathy ahead of the 2022 election.
READ MORE: Fort Bend County Judge KP George vows to stay in office and fight charges despite calls to step down
In April, he was charged with two counts of money laundering. At Wednesday's news conference, George repeated his claims that the cases against him are politically motivated.
"When Fort Bend County district attorney and his fellow liberal elites realized I wasn't going to fall in line with their increasingly radical agenda, this is the solution they found: kick me out," George said.
The district attorney's office denied George's allegation as well as his claim that prosecutors offered to drop the charges against him in exchange for his resignation.
"I'm going to be a better Republican than anybody," George said during Wednesday's remarks.
"Time will tell as to whether this party switch represents a true change of heart," Fort Bend County Republican Party Chairman Bobby Eberle said in a written statement.
But some remain skeptical.
"How he's voted and how he's acted has been more Democratic, so it's kind of a strange all of a sudden out of the blue to just switch around," Fort Bend County resident Kofi Minta said.
"I'm not buying it," Jacob Lee, with Fort Bend Conservative PAC, said. "I'm not buying it, I don't think most voters are buying it. He is coming over because it's good for his legal cases."
Others were quick to welcome George to the Republican Party.
"You come to the Republican Party for forgiveness and being able to recreate yourself," Republican strategist Court Koenning said.
The party switch gives Republicans a 3-2 majority on the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court.
Democratic Commissioner Dexter McCoy slammed the move.
"I think it's time for us to turn the page on that, and the only way we can do that is if KP George resigns," McCoy said.
It's the first time McCoy has explicitly called for George to resign, although he has spoken about the need for Fort Bend County to move on.
Following George's arrest on money laundering charges in April, McCoy released the following statement:
"I'm disheartened to hear of the new criminal charges brought against our County Judge. These charges are serious and deeply troubling. While we still have much to learn about these allegations, we must remain focused on the continuity of governance and advancing an agenda that puts people, not ourselves, first."
Eyewitness News asked him why he hadn't specifically called for George to step down at that time.
"I've been clear that the county judge has a lot to think about," he said.
George's former opponent, Trever Nehls, released a statement shortly after the announcement, calling George's party switch a "move to escape accountability."
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SEE PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Fort Bend County Judge KP George jailed on 2 charges of money laundering, records show
Fort Bend County Judge KP George rails against criminal case in new letter
Fort Bend County Judge KP George's former chief of staff pleads guilty in fake racist post scandal
