Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Wednesday that his office is investigating whether former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s political organization is gifting “Beto Bribes” to Texas House Democrats who left the state to break quorum in protest of the GOP’s redistricting efforts.
The Democratic political action committee in question is Powered by People, which is currently fundraising to help cover food, lodging, and transportation costs incurred by the Democratic lawmakers, who also collectively face fines up to nearly $400,000 if they don’t return by the end of the Texas legislature’s special session on Aug. 19, according to a Politico analysis.
Paxton, a Republican, and Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) are concerned the group’s fundraising efforts may amount to bribery, a second-degree felony in Texas.
“Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable,” Paxton said in a press release.
“Texas cannot be bought. I look forward to thoroughly reviewing all of the documents and communications obtained throughout this investigation,” he added. “These jet-setting runaways have already lost public trust by abandoning our state, and Texans deserve to know if they received illegal bribes to do it.”
The Democratic National Committee and Texas Majority PAC, a group linked to Democratic megadonor George Soros, are also helping foot the bill for the lawmakers’ stunt amid the redistricting battle.
Abbott previously warned Texas Democrats that they could be charged with bribery if they accept the donations.
Bribery in this context may be difficult to prosecute if there is no direct evidence of the Democratic lawmakers accepting political contributions as part of “an express agreement to take or withhold” an official action, according to the state’s public bribery statute.
After leaving the state, more than 50 state Democrats face possible removal from office and possible arrests if they don’t return by the Texas House speaker’s Friday deadline. President Donald Trump suggested the FBI “may have to” get involved in arresting the runaway Democrats after Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) asked FBI Director Kash Patel to authorize the operation.
The out-of-state protest comes as Republicans redraw congressional maps to add five more seats in the House by 2026. The move prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) to pursue a redistricting effort in favor of his political party, as many other Democrats pledged to fight Texas’s gerrymandering.
DEMOCRATIC PACS LINE UP TO HELP TEXAS DEMOCRATS PAY COST OF AVOIDING SPECIAL SESSION
Notably, in 2021, Powered by People raised more than $700,000 for Texas House Democrats who similarly broke quorum over Republican efforts to overhaul the state’s election laws. The group is doing the same thing this year with help from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who said she will split the proceeds with O’Rourke’s PAC.
Paxton’s office says Powered by People and the lawmakers may have “violated other Texas laws, including, but not limited to, those governing campaign or officeholder contributions and expenditures, coercion of a public servant, and abuse of office” in addition to possible bribery violations.
