Texas GOP donor Tim Dunn told former House speaker only Christians should be in leadership

San Antonio politico Joe Straus, a former Republican speaker of the Texas House, told the Texas Tribune that oil billionaire Tim Dunn — one of the state's most powerful Republican donors — once advised him that only Christians should hold leadership positions in the legislature's lower chamber. Straus, who's Jewish, told Tribune CEO Evan Smith about the encounter Thursday, appearing to publicly confirm for the first time an anecdote Texas Monthly reported in 2018, according to the Tribune. The Texas Monthly article attributed its reporting on the alleged encounter to "insiders" in Straus' office.