A Tarrant County judge has blocked former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke from financially contributing to Texas Democrats who fled the state to prevent the passage of new congressional maps.
That decision came as Attorney General Ken Paxton escalated the state’s response to a Democratic walkout by petitioning to have 13 lawmakers removed from office for their role in stalling the Republican-led redistricting plan.
In his suit against O’Rourke, filed in Tarrant County district court Friday , Paxton accused the former congressman and his political group, Powered by People, of misleading donors by claiming contributions would be used for political purposes, when instead the money paid for what Paxton called “lavish personal expenditures” — private jets, luxury hotels and fine dining — for absent lawmakers during the special session.
Paxton also claims O’Rourke promised to cover fines, travel and lodging for Democrats if they broke quorum. According to the Texas Tribune, O’Rourke’s political group is a top funder covering the costs of the walkout.
“Democrat runaways are likely accepting Beto Bribes to underwrite their jet-setting sideshow in far-flung places and misleadingly raising political funds to pay for personal expenses,” Paxton said in a statement. “This out-of-state, cowardly cabal is abandoning their constitutional duties. I will not allow failed political has-beens to buy off Texas elected officials.”
Just hours after the lawsuit was filed, a district judge temporarily blocked the political group from “raising funds for non-political purposes” for the duration of the case, citing that continued fundraising would cause “irreparable harm” to the state.
“They want to make examples out of those who fight so that others won’t,” O’Rourke said on social media Friday evening. “But I’m not going anywhere.”
In his second petition Friday, filed with the Texas Supreme Court, Paxton sought to unseat Ron Reynolds of Missouri City, Vikki Goodwin of Austin, Gina Hinojosa of Austin, James Talarico of Austin, Lulu Flores of Austin, Mihaela Plesa of Dallas, Suleman Lalani of Sugar Land, Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, Ana-Maria Ramos of Richardson, Jessica Gonzalez of Dallas, John Bucy of Austin, Christina Morales of Houston and Gene Wu of Houston.
House Speaker Dustin Burrows set a deadline of Friday for the Democrats to return. Without their presence, the House lacks the quorum required to conduct business, effectively stalling all legislative work at the state Capitol.
“These cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold,” Paxton said. “Their out-of-state rebellion cannot go unchecked, and the business of Texas must go on.”
Wu, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, was directly targeted in a separate lawsuit filed by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this week seeking to remove him from office.
If Paxton’s request is granted, the court’s declaration would allow Abbott to call special elections to fill the seats. The lawsuit marks the latest escalation in a week-long standoff that’s paralyzed the Legislature during the current special session. On Thursday, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said the FBI agreed to assist in apprehending the absent lawmakers.
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