(KERA) An attorney representing the East Plano Islamic Center — a Muslim group that has received backlash and come under investigation in recent weeks over a planned North Texas development — said the group is the victim of racial profiling from Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials.
During a press conference Thursday, high-profile Texas attorney Dan Cogdell — who among other things previously represented Ken Paxton during the attorney general’s 2023 impeachment and a state securities fraud case — said Abbott has spread false information and hate speech about the development.
“Quit tweeting lies, false information and nonsense because my clients right now, what they are doing is they are suffering from essentially gubernatorial hate speech,” said [Cogdell], who’s also representing EPIC’s corporate entity Community Capital Partners. “They’re getting death threats, their families are being antagonized, their property is getting picketed. They are afraid for their lives, of the falsehood that the governor’s office has started.”
