Updated at 8:10 p.m. with a lawmaker calling for Bonnen’s resignation.

AUSTIN — After a four-hour meeting Friday, the Texas House Republican caucus strongly condemned embattled Speaker Dennis Bonnen and one of his top lieutenants for targeting fellow Republicans in elections, using offensive language against other lawmakers and insulting city and county officials. But it did not call for his resignation.

“We, the members of the Texas House Republican Caucus, condemn in the strongest possible terms the offensive language used and the statements made by Speaker Bonnen and Representative [Dustin] Burrows during the secretly recorded meeting which occurred on June 12th,” the caucus said in a prepared statement after the meeting. “Both members violated the high standards of conduct we expect of our members. Their conduct does not reflect the views of our Caucus membership. We completely and fully support the members mentioned in the recording.”

Though the caucus didn’t take the step of asking Bonnen to resign, as some individual members did this week, it also didn’t express support for him to continue leading the chamber.

“Constitutionally, the Speaker can only be elected or removed when the House is in session,” the statement said. “A process in our Caucus bylaws presently exists to nominate a Caucus-endorsed Speaker candidate, and we intend to abide by those provisions accordingly.”

At the June meeting, conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan has said, Bonnen and Burrows offered to give writers for his website, Texas Scorecard, media credentials in the next legislative session if Sullivan and his political group, Empower Texans, would target 10 Republican lawmakers in next year’s primary elections.

Bonnen and Burrows first denied the allegations. This week, Sullivan released what he said is a secret recording of the meeting. The recording has not been authenticated, but it has not been called into question. Still, Bonnen and Burrows deny breaking any laws.

While Bonnen remains speaker, it’s clear he has lost the support of some in the caucus.

“I challenge you to find any of my Republican colleagues who will publicly come out and say Dennis Bonnen is the leader Texans need and deserve. (Don’t hold your breath),” Rep. Jonathan Stickland of Bedford wrote in a tweet following the meeting. Stickland has said he’s not running for reelection to the Legislature in 2020.

Rep. DeWayne Burns of Cleburne said on Facebook after the meeting that he no longer supported Bonnen as speaker.

“The recorded conversation between Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Michael Sullivan and Representative Dustin Burrows has resulted in division, created distrust and could undermine Republican efforts during a general election cycle where the future of Texas hangs in the balance,” he said. “I believe Dennis Bonnen has lost the trust of members of the Texas House, the citizens I serve and voters across the state of Texas. I can no longer support Dennis Bonnen as Speaker of the Texas House.”

Still, others said they wanted to give Bonnen an opportunity to redeem himself. In a written statement, Reps. Jeff Leach and Matt Shaheen of Plano, Scott Sanford of McKinney and Justin Holland of Rockwall condemned Bonnen’s actions “with no reservation and in the strongest sense possible.”

But they also said they wanted to “collaborate and work towards the best path forward.”

“We join our fellow caucus members in calling on Speaker Bonnen to work diligently to prove to all 149 House members and, more importantly, to the people of Texas, that he can rebuild trust and continue to faithfully lead the House and our state forward,” they wrote. “If that is not possible, the people of Texas expect and deserve a new Speaker of the House during the 87th Legislature.”

Heading into Friday’s highly anticipated meeting to discuss Bonnen’s and Burrows’ actions, at least 12 House Republicans had called for Bonnen to step down, as had Denton County Judge Andy Eads, who was responding to derisive comments Bonnen and Burrows made about working with leaders of cities and counties.

In its statement, the Republican caucus said, “The views expressed in the taped recording in no way reflect the high regard we have for our locally elected officials."

By Friday night, 33 of the 64 members of the State Republican Executive Committee had called for Bonnen’s resignation. The committee helps the party set its platforms for legislation.

Burrows, the former chairman of the caucus, was forced to step down following Sullivan’s allegations. One of the chairman’s main jobs is ensuring more Republican electoral victories.

The GOP caucus meeting, which was held at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa during the group’s annual retreat, had been scheduled to last 45 minutes but dragged to nearly four hours. When it ended, most lawmakers walked quickly past reporters to the exit.

Rep. Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches, who was among the 10 targeted Republicans and has called for Bonnen’s resignation, said the caucus had a “good meeting” in which members were finally able to discuss the actions of Bonnen and Burrows.

“We heard from the speaker,” Clardy said. “He expressed real contrition and remorse.”

Neither Bonnen nor Burrows issued a public statement Friday night.

Meanwhile, the House General Investigating Committee, which called for a Texas Rangers investigation into potential wrongdoing at the June meeting, announced it had retained a bipartisan panel of lawyers to help decide what action to take once the investigation is complete.

The panel will include Patricia Gray, a former Democratic state representative; Will Hartnett, a Dallas lawyer and former Republican state representative; and Tom Phillips, a former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

“My colleagues on the committee and I have consistently said that any investigation must follow the facts and the evidence without regard to political consideration,” Rep. Morgan Meyer, a Dallas Republican who chairs the General Investigating Committee, said in a prepared statement. “The bipartisan panel will aid the committee in evaluating the final evidence solely on legal considerations. Each member of the panel is recognized for their legal expertise and judgment, and we are grateful that they are willing to again serve the public in this capacity.”

All three Republicans on the committee — Meyer and Reps. Matt Krause of Fort Worth and Candy Noble of Allen — skipped Friday’s caucus meeting to avoid the appearance of impropriety.