Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Thursday that she is giving Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office the pending criminal cases against three of County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s former staffers, who are accused of steering a COVID-19 contract to a preferred firm.

Though Ogg, who lost her reelection bid in the March Democratic primary to former prosecutor Sean Teare, argued that her possible successor cannot be trusted with the cases, she stopped short of recusing her office, thereby preserving the next district attorney's involvement. .....

Ogg's decision has sown confusion regarding both her motivation to essentially give up the case and the literal meaning of her words. She asked Paxton to "assume jurisdiction" in the cases, but Paxton's office said in a news release that it "will assist" the district attorney’s office.....

Ogg's move is an unusual one, according to Amanda Peters, a professor at South Texas College of Law who worked as a prosecutor in Harris County from 1999 to 2007.

"If she were concerned about the future of these cases, she would recuse her office so Sean Teare could never be involved in their prosecution," Peters said. "This option doesn't seem to do that."

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Thursday that she is giving Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office the pending criminal cases against three of County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s former staffers, who are accused of steering a COVID-19 contract to a preferred firm.

Though Ogg, who lost her reelection bid in the March Democratic primary to former prosecutor Sean Teare, argued that her possible successor cannot be trusted with the cases, she stopped short of recusing her office, thereby preserving the next district attorney's involvement. .....

Ogg's decision has sown confusion regarding both her motivation to essentially give up the case and the literal meaning of her words. She asked Paxton to "assume jurisdiction" in the cases, but Paxton's office said in a news release that it "will assist" the district attorney’s office.....

Ogg's move is an unusual one, according to Amanda Peters, a professor at South Texas College of Law who worked as a prosecutor in Harris County from 1999 to 2007.

"If she were concerned about the future of these cases, she would recuse her office so Sean Teare could never be involved in their prosecution," Peters said. "This option doesn't seem to do that."