Probe of Chao death not criminal
Sheriff’s office calls news reports incorrect
The investigation into the death of Angela Chao, the Foremost Group CEO who died at a Central Texas ranch last month, has not pivoted into a criminal investigation, Blanco County authorities said Monday, responding to news articles by national outlets suggesting the case had taken a different tack.
The investigation “has not changed at all. It’s always been an unfortunate accident. We have not seen a single thing that would make us believe otherwise,” Robert Woodring, chief deputy for the Blanco County sheriff’s office, said in an interview.
Chao, a 50-year-old Austin resident, died Feb. 11 despite emergency responders’ attempts to rescue her from a vehicle submerged in a private ranch’s pond in Johnson City, about 40 miles west of Austin. She is the sister of Elaine Chao, who served in the Cabinet under former President Donald Trump and former President George W. Bush. The elder Chao is married to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
The circumstances leading to Chao’s death are unclear. Other than a brief statement describing the incident as an “unfortunate accident,” the Blanco County sheriff’s office has repeatedly declined to release details. Woodring declined again Monday, citing the ongoing investigation.
On Thursday, CNBC published an online article headlined, “Death of shipping CEO Angela Chao under ‘criminal investigation,’ Texas sheriff says.” The article quotes passages from a letter sent by Blanco County officials to the Texas sttorney general’s office seeking an opinion on whether the county should release records requested by the outlet about the ongoing investigation.
“This incident was not a typical accident,” the Blanco County sheriff’s office wrote in a letter, as quoted by CNBC. “Although the preliminary investigation indicated this was an unfortunate accident, the Sheriff’s Office is still investigating this accident as a criminal matter until they have sufficient evidence to rule out criminal activity.”
Other national outlets, including Newsweek, Fox Business and the New York Post, cited the CNBC article in their own stories on the subject.
In a statement, Kimberly Ashby, a Blanco County spokesperson, attributed the news coverage to what she called a “misinterpretation of a sentence” in the county’s requests for
guidance from the state’s top lawyer by media outlets.
Blanco County officials either declined or did not respond to requests for a copy of the letter, which seemingly asked the attorney general to render an opinion advising the county to withhold the records.
The American-Statesman has submitted requests under the Texas Public Information Act for records relating to the investigation. As of Monday afternoon, the Blanco County sheriff’s office had not provided records or issued letters to the attorney general as it has for CNBC. Ashby did not respond to requests for a copy of the letters sent to the attorney general.
Under the Texas Public Information Act, government entities must “promptly produce” responsive records or ask the attorney general’s office for an opinion on whether they are required to. Upon receiving a request, government entities have 10 business days to determine whether to seek an opinion from the attorney general. The request must cite under which sections of state law the record-holding entity believes the records can be lawfully withheld.