Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on his promise to expel Texas Democrats from the legislature if they do not return to the state for its ongoing special session, where Republicans are working to push through a new congressional map that gives the GOP five more favorable seats ahead of the midterms.
“These Democrats have absconded from their responsibility,” the Republican governor said on Fox News Monday morning. “I believe they have forfeited their seats in the state legislature because they are not doing the job they were elected to do.”
The call for removing the Democrats from office furthers what he said in a letter Sunday night, where he cited a 2021 nonbinding advisory opinion from GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton as justification for the effort.
On Sunday afternoon, Democratsleft the state to travel to blue havens like Illinois, New York and Massachusetts in protest of Republicans’ proposed congressional map. The legislature is also working on disaster relief legislation after severe rainstorms last month caused flooding of the Guadalupe River. Democrats remain resolute in attempting to block the GOP effort to redraw the state’s map.
“We’re not here to play games. We’re here to demand an end to this corrupt process,” said Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu at a press conference in the Chicago suburbs.
Democrats have so far not said precisely how long they are willing to stay away and hold up the legislature’s business, and they face daily fines of $500 for breaking the quorum. Abbott’s threats did not stop at removing the members from office. He also said the members — and anyone who offers to give them money to help with the fines — could be committing felonies.
“It would be bribery if any lawmaker took money to perform or to refuse to perform an act in the legislature,” Abbott said in his Fox News interview. “And the reports are these legislators have both sought money and offered money to skip the vote, to leave the legislature, to take a legislative act.”
“That would be bribery,” he added. “They face a possibility of facing bribery charges, which is a second degree felony in the state of Texas.”
If Democrats return to Texas before 3 p.m. Central time — which there is so far no indication of — Abbott said they would not face any charges.
