Updated Oct. 18 at 4:58 p.m. with a comment from Whitley.

AUSTIN — Former acting Secretary of State David Whitley, whose tenure was marred by his botched oversight of an investigation that questioned the citizenship of nearly 100,000 voters in Texas, is moving on from his soft landing pad in the governor’s office.

“I’ll be headed to the private sector,” Whitley said in a text message, offering no details.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s staff announced his departure Friday in a laudatory statement that made no mention of the scandal that lost Whitley his job as secretary. It did not mention where he’s headed or why he’s leaving.

“David has been by my side as a trusted adviser for a decade and a half, and his collaborative leadership style and commitment to accountability are second-to-none,” Abbott said. “Over that time, David has been an invaluable resource within my office, helping guide and direct many successful initiatives during my time as Attorney General and now as Governor."

Whitley resigned as secretary of state in May after failing to be confirmed by senators, angry about the erroneous voter purge. But days later, The Dallas Morning News first reported the Whitley had been given another job back at Abbott’s office as a “special adviser” where he would earn a $205,000 annual salary.

Despite efforts by Abbott to retain him, Whitley resigned as secretary of state on the final day of the legislative session, giving up his $197,415 salary — a decrease from his previous position at the governor’s office but a 49% pay raise over the last secretary of state, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

A few days later, Whitley ended his tenure at the secretary of state’s office through a direct transfer to the governor’s office, the state comptroller’s office — which cuts state employee’s checks — confirmed. He returned to the same salary he previously made as a deputy chief of staff in 2018 but with a new title.

“David Whitley has been an exemplary public servant to the state of Texas for many years and the Governor is proud to welcome him back to our organization as a Special Adviser,” John Wittman, an Abbott spokesman, said at the time.

Advocacy groups who opposed Whitley’s confirmation as secretary of state immediately denounced his return to the governor’s office.

"Whitley was caught suppressing the right to vote, settled with nearly $500,000 of taxpayer money in court, and fired by Texas Democrats, only to be promoted by Republicans only to be rewarded with even more taxpayer money," said Sam Robles, advocacy director for Progress Texas. "Whitley's position in the governor's office clearly demonstrates Abbott's priorities."

The Texas Democratic Party excoriated the move.

“Once again, Republican Greg Abbott shows us he could care less what Texans think. While folks are working hard trying to make ends meet, Abbott is giving his incompetent friends millions on the taxpayer’s dime,” said Manny Garcia, the party’s executive director. “In the Abbott administration, being incompetent and malicious gets you a cushy new gig with a fancy job title. In the rest of the world, it gets you fired.”

Whitley’s return to Abbott’s office brought him back beside the man he has served for most of his professional life. He followed Abbott from the attorney general’s office to the governor’s mansion, even while returning to the University of Texas in 2009 to pursue a law degree.

The ties were so strong that Abbott exerted pressure on senators to confirm his nominee. Whitley's nomination had lingered since February when all 12 Senate Democrats said they could not confirm him after his oversight of the botched voter citizenship investigation, which eventually led to three lawsuits against the state.

A secretary of state's confirmation requires the support of two-thirds of senators, or 21 of them if all 31 are present. The Senate's 19 Republicans supported Whitley, but without any Democrats crossing over, his confirmation was blocked.

Still, Abbott made a final push in the last days of the legislative session, privately calling on some Senate Democrats to support Whitley's confirmation. They refused and Abbott later vetoed four of the bills they had worked to pass in what some saw as retaliation, according to the Texas Tribune.

Whitley's troubles began in January, when his office issued an advisory claiming that approximately 95,000 people who identified themselves as noncitizens when applying for a driver's license at the Department of Public Safety also appeared on the state's voter rolls. About 58,000 of them had voted in one or more elections since 1996, his office said.

But critics quickly pointed out that many of the people on that list could have received their citizenship after applying for a driver’s license as noncitizens. (Noncitizens who are in the country legally can be issued a driver’s license in Texas.) Days after issuing the advisory, state officials quietly began calling county election administrators and telling them some of the people on their lists had already proved their citizenship.

Many counties in Texas refused to use the state-provided lists to investigate voters, citing inaccurate data, and asked the state to provide new lists. In court, state officials said that about 25,000 of the names in their initial advisory had already proved their citizenship to the Department of Public Safety and were placed there in error.

In April, the state settled its lawsuits, agreeing to rescind the advisory and to pay plaintiffs $450,000 in attorney’s fees. Soon after, Whitley began asking Senate Democrats to meet with them about his confirmation, but those conversations did not move the needle.

Abbott selected Ruth Hughs, a former chair of the Texas Workforce Commission, to replace Whitley as secretary of state in August.

Austin Bureau reporter Rebekah Allen contributed to this report.