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| Texas Republicans Issue Arrest Warrants for Democrats Who Fled State to Evade Redistricting Vote |
| 2025-08-06 |
| [Breitbart] A motion to issue arrest warrants for the dozens of Texas Democrat legislators who fled the state Sunday to prevent their Republican colleagues from voting on a congressional redistricting map has been passed by the state’s House of Representatives. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton confirmed that he will work to “hunt down” the 51 Democrats who left Texas in order to delay the vote in a statement on X: “Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately,” Paxton wrote following reports that the lawmakers fled to blue states like Illinois in protest of the Republican-favored redistricting . He added, “We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.” Texas House Democrats confirmed they left the state to stop a so-called “Trump Texas Takeover,” calling the proposed maps “racially-motivated” and “corrupt”: The state House’s sergeant-at-arms and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) have the legal authority to retrieve absent representatives within Texas borders, State Rep. Nate Schatzline (R) said: Since Democrat members left the state entirely, Schatzline said Gov. Greg Abbott (R) “has the constitutional authority to declare their seats vacant under the Texas Election Code,” which would lower the quorum threshold for a House vote on the redistricting map. “I support the immediate arrest of these rogue lawmakers who’ve fled their duties,” Paxton said in a follow-up, after re-posting Schatzline’s statement. “These radical Democrats are spitting in the face of every Texan they swore to represent. This is cowardice and dereliction of duty, and they should face the full force of the law without apology.” After the Democrats who fled the state did not return to the chamber by the 3:00 p.m. deadline, House Speaker Dustin Burrows vowed to sign civil warrants permitting the sergeant-at-arms and state troopers to arrest and return them to the state Capitol, the Daily Caller reported. “The sergeant-at-arms and any appointed by her are directed to send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused for the purpose of securing and maintaining their attendance, under warrant of arrest if necessary, until further order of the House,” Burrows said. The arrest warrant does not come with any civil or criminal charges for the representatives, according to the Texas Tribune. Abbott ordered DPS to “locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans” to ensure compliance with Burrows’ directive: “This order will remain in effect until all missing Democrats are accounted for,” the governor said. He also ordered a criminal investigation on Monday on suspicion of “potential bribery” and any other legal violations that could have been committed during the stunt after receiving reports that Democrat members may have solicited or received funds to evade the vote: |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #12 Ooooooo....for Bribery even - spicy! |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2025-08-06 18:18 |
| #11 It will be delightful to hear all the talking heads describing the act of booking it to break the quorum as an essential part of tge democratic process |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2025-08-06 14:37 |
| #10 Governor's Mansion, Topeka. And really that rule should apply to any and all elected public position, city council to supreme court. Gotta make the case that an elected official can be good, be terrible, vote against promises, abstain, even show up drunk and pass out, that elected official is there, representing the voters will of that district. To not show up at all is to deny the voters of that district their will to have representation in government. It is a mean girl face of basically suspending that district's elections. Last I heard, denying the right to representation was Jim Crow! Poll Tax! Second, it must be explained that a duly appointed call to vote which is purposefully avoided is not empowering but indeed a decision to abdicate representation of that district in a bad faith effort to disrupt the proper representation of the joining members and therefore void that seat until a replacement member is appointed, by whatever means, which reduces temporarily the number of seats therefore the necessary number of members for a quorum. And soon, before they really start stomping and screaming and playing slap-ass. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2025-08-06 14:27 |
| #9 I have some ocean front property I'd like to sell you. Where's the beach? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-08-06 13:55 |
| #8 Il Douche was just trying to feel superior |
| Posted by: Frank G 2025-08-06 13:31 |
| #7 You see, a purposeful quorum break decision as proposed must include both houses of Congress, at the state and federal, because Senators will do this trick as well, and if you think that Federal Congress democrats are not watching this closely and making plans, I have some ocean front property I'd like to sell you. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2025-08-06 13:24 |
| #6 Yes. The Texas State Congress, of which The Texas House of Representatives is a part of. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2025-08-06 13:12 |
| #5 "Congress"? This is the Texas State House. Some basic civics lessons are in order for people. |
| Posted by: Elmomoter Mussolini9149 2025-08-06 12:09 |
| #4 I don't think they need to be hauled before Congress and forced to vote; voluntarily avoiding roll call is an abstain vote and counts towards the quorum. And there isn't an argument that their constituents are not represented, because they voted for them to represent them in Congress and this is how they chose to do so. Now, investigating funding outside of personal wealth, I could see conspiracy to commit fraud plus civil rights violations with both the member and the funding organization, voter fraud, plus exposure to a class action lawsuit by member's constituents. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2025-08-06 11:11 |
| #3 Beto O'Rourke's political group funding Texas Democrats fleeing state to prevent quorum: report |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-08-06 10:25 |
| #2 Abbott asks Texas Supreme Court to remove state House Democratic Caucus chair from office |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-08-06 10:17 |
| #1 FBI Asked to Assist Texas Authorities in Locating, Arresting Texas House Dems Who Fled the State |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-08-06 04:59 |