AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The office of Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing back on whether he endorsed the removal of a Confederate marker at the state Capitol during a private meeting with a black lawmaker.

Abbott spokeswoman Ciara Matthews says the governor pledged to Democratic state Rep. Eric Johnson that state officials would look into a plaque that rejects slavery as an underlying cause of the Civil War. But she says the governor didn't agree to remove it.

Johnson told The Associated Press that he concedes Abbott didn't explicitly say the plaque would be taken down. But he says the governor agreed it was historically inaccurate and indicated that he supported its removal.

Johnson called Abbott's characterization of the meeting "mind-boggling" and says he might release meeting notes taken by his staff.

Johnson has for months called for its removal as Confederate markers come down nationwide.

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