"After a career of service as a citizen soldier, most recently fighting the war on terror ... I find it astounding that a member of your staff would impugn my character," Rep. Rick Noriega said in a letter to Perry.
At issue was a letter sent April 27 from state Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw to Noriega that accused the Houston Democrat of taking a "bury our heads in the sand" approach to border security.
"Since it is your position that our border does not pose a terrorist threat, and because of that position you believe it is unnecessary to expend resources in protecting our border, I will make myself available ... to provide a detailed briefing on why this mistaken position can cost lives," McCraw said in his letter.
Noriega, a lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard who missed the 2005 legislative session while he was deployed to Afghanistan, called the letter "both insulting and irresponsible" and called on Perry to retract it.
