Energy Secretary Rick Perry took aim at alma mater Texas A&M University, charging that the election of the school's first openly gay student body president was rigged, the Houston Chronicle reports.
The former Texas governor made his accusation in an editorial submitted to the newspaper. He said the election was "stolen" from a white male candidate who had the most votes and given to Bobby Brooks in a process that "made a mockery of due process and transparency." Perry claimed that Brooks' victory was a case of the university "shunning" electoral integrity for the purpose of diversity.
The Student Government Association Election Commission received complaints after the election that Robert McIntosh, who received the most votes, had intimidated voters. Additionally, the McIntosh campaign had reportedly failed to provide receipts for the glow sticks used in a Facebook campaign video.
The commission and the school's Judicial Court found no evidence of voter intimidation but agreed that McIntosh had failed to disclose where he got the glow sticks and therefore would be disqualified from the election.
Perry said the glow sticks were given to McIntosh at a charity event that the student participated in.
"What if Mr. Brooks had been the candidate disqualified?" Perry wrote. "Would the administration and the student body have allowed the first gay student body president to be voided for using charity glow sticks? Would the student body have allowed a black student body president to be disqualified on anonymous charges of voter intimidation?"
Texas A&M didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, the newspaper said.
Read the Houston Chronicle's full story here.