Last month far-left Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced she will be taking a leave of absence to seek treatment for clinical depression.
“Based on my doctor’s recommendation, I checked myself into an out-of-state facility to receive inpatient treatment in late July,” the corrupt Democrat said in a statement.
She continued, “It is important for me personally and professionally to confront this issue swiftly, so I will be taking temporary leave from the office while I am receiving treatment.”
Hidalgo was initially supposed to resume her normal schedule by early September.
However, on Thursday Hidalgo announced she will be extending her leave of absence and won’t return to work until October 2nd.
“I am looking forward to being discharged this Saturday, September 16, 2023, starting outpatient care, are re-acclimatizing to life outside a mental health facility. My initial treatment plan had me returning to my regular schedule in September, but my discharge date was moved back, which moves back the re-acclimatization period,” Hidalgo said in a statement.
“The way my doctors explained re-acclimatization to me is that you would not go from heart surgery straight to running a marathon, in the same way that they do not want me to go straight back to my usual schedule,” Hidalgo said. “I am feeling great and looking forward to returning on Monday, October 2, 2023.”
Judge Hidalgo has shared an update on her mental health treatment. pic.twitter.com/ltmk5txF9X
— Office of Judge Lina Hidalgo (@HarrisCoJudge) September 14, 2023
Hidalgo’s former Republican opponent Alex Mealer blasted the Harris County Judge in an op-ed for the Houston Chronicle last week and called for her to resign.
“We are less than a week away from a pivotal Sept. 19 vote to raise taxes on Harris County residents, yet County Judge Lina Hidalgo has yet to resume the duties of her office,” Mealer wrote. “We all applaud her personal decision to receive treatment for depression and are sympathetic to everyone struggling with mental health issues, but we must also be equally sympathetic with the residents of Harris County who are suffering from brutal inflation, unacceptable crime rates and crumbling infrastructure.”
The latest extension of absence comes after rumors swirled that Lina Hidalgo might resign as her office is embroiled in a bid-rigging scandal.
Lina Hidalgo and her staffers were implicated in a no-bid contract scandal.
Lina Hidalgo’s top three staffers were indicted in April 2022 after prosecutors expanded the investigation into an $11 million ‘vaccine outreach contract’ awarded to one of the judge’s political cronies.
While Hidalgo was threatening to jail and fine people for violating her Covid rules, she was secretly trying to award one of her political cronies an $11 million ‘vaccine outreach’ contract.
Hidalgo ultimately panicked and canceled the $11 million vaccine contract after questions were raised that it was with a one-person firm with no experience.
Hidalgo’s Chief of Staff Alex Triantaphyllis and Policy Director Wallis Nader along with co-defendant Aaron Dunn were charged with misuse of official information and tampering with government documents in connection with the canceled vaccine outreach contract.
Judge Lina Hidalgo with indicted Chief of Staff Alex Triantaphyllis
Alex Mealer, the 2022 Republican candidate for Harris County Judge who narrowly lost to Lina Hidalgo, recently provided a statement to The Gateway Pundit.
“Upon taking office, Judge Lina Hidalgo promised transparency and accountability. Unfortunately, that has proven to be an illusory wish, at best. Under her leadership, the County has fought every FOIA request received and we have witnessed deeply flawed elections under her hand-picked Election Administrators, a broken criminal justice system with a revolving door at the courthouse under her Consent Decree, and to no surprise, an alleged bid-rigging scheme to favor a partisan ally. Unfortunately for Harris County, just about everything that comes out of Lina Hidalgo’s mouth is a lie so I have no idea if or when she will return. I sincerely hope she gets the mental health treatment that she needs as she is currently unfit to serve in her position, which includes leading the emergency response through the current hurricane season,” Alex Mealer told TGP in a statement.
