Bullying, false accusations alleged against Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in dispute with commissioner

HOUSTON – A bitter war of words is unfolding between two Harris County leaders following the passing of the $2.7 billion county budget for 2026.

After the vote and approval of the budget on Wednesday, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo took to Instagram, accusing Harris County Pct. 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones of balancing a budget “on the backs of working people” and saying she hopes Briones will be primaried in the next election.

“When I first announced that I was not going to run for a third term, I got the question about what my biggest regrets are. I’ve named a few, but I now know which is the top one. It is to have appointed someone a civil court judge in 2019 because they persuaded me that their number one priority was the Harris County community,” Hidalgo said in the Instagram post, speaking of Briones.

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Hidalgo continues, saying she agreed to redraw precinct boundaries because “that civil court judge promised she would be a careful steward of taxpayer dollars.”

Briones fired back, releasing her own statement on Facebook strongly refuting Hidalgo’s claim that she redrew precinct boundaries to help her.

“I want to be clear about the latest alternate version of history she’s posted: she never drew a district, let alone a district for me. A Commissioner authored the county maps, and I never thought of running for County Commissioner until well after the maps had been adopted,” Briones said in her statement.

Briones accused Hidalgo of bullying and making false accusations.

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“For months, Harris County Democratic elected officials have endured false accusations, caustic personal insults, and disrespect from Judge Hidalgo. I have taken the high road because of how my parents raised me, my Christian faith, and my desire to stay laser focused on the people’s work. Respect is non-negotiable. Civility must be preserved. Our democracy—and our community—deserve leaders who hold these ideals sacred,” Briones said in her statement.

KPRC 2 has reached out to Hidalgo’s office to see if she can provide proof of the statement she redrew precinct boundaries to help Briones. We have also reached out through Hidalgo’s Instagram page. So far, we have not heard back.