Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
AUSTIN — Governor Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Rangers to open an investigation into Texas House Democrats who left the state to avoid providing a quorum necessary for legislative proceedings. The Governor’s order includes potential criminal violations, specifically bribery, tied to their absence from the legislature.
“Today, I ordered the Texas Rangers to immediately investigate fleeing Texas House Democrats for potential bribery and any other potential legal violations connected to their refusal to appear for a quorum, conduct business, and cast votes,” said Governor Abbott in an official statement released from his office. He added, “That investigation should extend to anyone who aided or abetted such potential crimes.”
The Governor’s action follows reports that several of the absent Democratic lawmakers may have “solicited or received funds to evade conducting legislative business and casting votes,” according to the Governor’s office. Under Section 36 of the Texas Penal Code, these actions may constitute bribery if any legislator “solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept” financial support in exchange for abstaining from their legislative responsibilities.
Further, the investigation will not be limited to lawmakers alone. “It could be a bribery violation for any other person who offers, provides, or agrees to provide such funds to fleeing Democrat House members,” the Governor’s statement emphasized. This broadens the scope of potential legal scrutiny to include political organizations, donors, and advocacy groups who may have supported the lawmakers’ actions financially.
The Texas Rangers were instructed to investigate with urgency. “The Texas Rangers were instructed to complete the investigation quickly and to prepare the paperwork to be sent to the appropriate prosecutors,” the Governor’s statement concluded.
At the time of the announcement, no specific lawmakers or individuals had been formally named as subjects of the investigation, and no charges had been filed. It remains unclear how many Democrats could be implicated or how long the investigation may take.
This move intensifies an ongoing partisan standoff that began when Democratic legislators fled Texas to block the passage of a controversial election bill. By leaving the state, the lawmakers denied the House the quorum required to vote on legislation. Republicans have criticized the action as a dereliction of duty, while Democrats have defended it as a necessary protest to protect voting rights.
