Texas skedaddle coverage roundup
Thursday, Aug 7, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Texas Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday the FBI has granted his request to assist Texas law enforcement in locating House Democrats who fled the state, setting up a potential confrontation with Illinois Democratic officials who have vowed to protect them.
“I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” Cornyn said in a statement.
“I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas. We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities.” […]
It was unclear what the FBI’s activities would entail since the Texas lawmakers have not been charged with state or federal-level criminal activity. They are facing civil warrants for leaving the state, but they are unenforceable outside of Texas.
Locating them will be a pretty easy job in Illinois because we (and the person who called in the bomb threats) already know where they are…
* Gov. Pritzker was asked about this today…
Q: Governor, Sen. John Cornyn in Texas has basically said today that the FBI has granted his request to go after the Texas Democratic lawmakers. Since you spoke with the media yesterday, can you get more specific on what you plan on doing to protect these lawmakers here in Illinois and what kind of conversations have you had with the state police and your administration to do just that?
Pritzker: Look, I’ve said it before. This is a lot of grandstanding by the Trump administration, by John Cornyn, by Governor Abbott in Texas. The reality is that all that he has said, Cornyn, is that the FBI has been authorized to locate the Texas House Democrats, nothing more. And you know why? Because there is no federal law that allows them to arrest Texas Democrats who are here visiting the state of Illinois.
I welcome the FBI coming to the state. I hope they take in the State Fair. I hope they go see the beauty of Lake Michigan. Yeah, adventure awaits for all of them. But they won’t be arresting anyone, because there is no US federal law that prohibits those Texas House Democrats from being here in the state of Illinois.
* Illinois’ legislative quorum is set in the Constitution as a “majority of the members elected to each house.” Texas has a two-thirds quorum requirement. So, Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) filed a constitutional amendment proposal this week…
Spain filed House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 19 this week to require a two-thirds majority for a quorum like Texas, instead of a simple majority as Illinois has now.
“If the governor is so happy with what’s taking place in Texas and, helping those legislators, I hope he would support having the same quorum requirements in the Illinois General Assembly,” Spain said.
Unveiling the butter cow ahead of the 2025 Illinois State Fair Wednesday, Pritzker said he didn’t have an opinion on the proposed change.
“I think the House will make a determination about what they want, put that out, as you said there’s a bill, I haven’t looked at it,” Pritzker said. “I don’t have an opinion about that today.”
* Texas Tribune…
Powered by People, a Democratic political group started by former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, has emerged as a top funder covering the costs of Texas lawmakers’ out-of-state decampment to thwart a new GOP-proposed congressional map, according to two people involved with the fundraising efforts.
The expenses are mounting fast for the more than 50 Democrats in the Texas House who left the state Sunday to prevent the Republican-controlled chamber from having enough members to conduct business. Most lawmakers traveled to the Chicago area by way of a private plane from CommuteAir. They are now on the hook for lodging, meals and the $500-a-day fines they will each accrue for every day of the special session they miss. […]
Gov. Greg Abbott has warned that members could face felony charges for fundraising to cover their fines, which cannot be paid “from funds accepted as political contributions,” according to Texas House rules adopted by Republicans in 2023 after a prior Democratic quorum break. In a letter sent to absent Democrats Sunday, Abbott alleged that lawmakers who are “soliciting funds to evade the fines they will incur under House rules” may be violating bribery laws, adding that anyone who donates to the cause could also be liable.
Center Square…
On Wednesday, the Texas Office of Attorney General launched an investigation into Powered by the People saying it “may have violated bribery laws” as well as other state laws “governing campaign or officeholder contributions and expenditures, coercion of a public servant, and abuse of office.” It issued a Request to Examine, demanding documents and communications from the PAC about its involvement with Texas House Democrats’ scheme to break quorum.
* Meanwhile, in Indiana…
Gov. Mike Braun was noncommittal about the prospect of redistricting in Indiana following a meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Indiana legislative leaders at the Indiana Statehouse on Aug. 7.
When asked by reporters if the group came to a consensus on redrawing the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Braun said “We listened.” He also described the conversation as “pretty good.” […]
Political analysts say, if Gov. Mike Braun calls a special session for redistricting, Republicans could easily redraw maps in Northwest Indiana to flip the 1st Congressional District, currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan. That would put the state at eight Republican seats to one Democratic one.
Redrawing the 7th Congressional District in Indianapolis, held by longtime U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, to get the state to nine Republicans would pose more challenges. Any breakup of deep blue Democratic voters in Marion County could make other Republican House districts more vulnerable in future elections, analysts said.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 12:00 pm:
It is a hard ask for folks to recognize that the playbook needs to change. Folks are getting abducted off of the street by masked, unidentified, and armed federal agents with no warrants for their arrest and no due process.
The right wing folks who directly and indirectly support terrorists have their own streaming propagandists, pardon, “white house correspondents.”
We say where the folks are stay. We invite the media to a press conference there. We do these things because we are still operating in a framework where the Constitution of the United States is a limitation on Government power.
The Republican Party, Donald Trump and their co-conspirators do not believe the Constitution limits their power and certainly do not believe in self limitations on their abuse of power, because after all — if they don’t abuse it is it really power?
These folks have made it very clear that they believe they are fighting a “second revolution” and that their enemies are “the left.”
Are we supposed to be treating a press conference including legislators who left Texas like a top secret operation?
And if we are, why is that?
- Norseman - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 12:01 pm:
MAGA GOP perfidy = make up a phony basis to claim illegality and see if we can get away with it in partisan courts. At a minimum we get some of the gullible to believe it’s a legit crime.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 12:13 pm:
Each member should claim they have a copy of the Epstein files.
Then tell the FBI to come and get them.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 12:16 pm:
If you call yourself “Alpha warrior” you are definitely not, especially if it is on the socials.
Also…
=“I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas.=
Not a crime senator snowflake.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 12:30 pm:
The Texas Tribune reported earlier this week that Gov. Abbot has filed a legal process to declare the absent legislators as abandoning their positions. The remedy, presumably if he successfully gets the Texas Supreme Court to agree (and he appointed 6 of the 9 justices), would be special elections following the removal of the absent legislators.
Unless they are remapping the state legislative districts, does he think this will result in new Democrats who will not also flee to prevent a quorum? Does he think expelling the Democrats makes the push to redraw Congressional maps happen sooner?
Seems like a dumb and empty threat to me. But then again, calling the FBI to locate the legislators after everyone knows where they are already seems dumb and empty.
- Paddyrollingstone - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 12:30 pm:
“I welcome the FBI coming to the state. I hope they take in the State Fair. I hope they go see the beauty of Lake Michigan. Yeah, adventure awaits for all of them. But they won’t be arresting anyone, because there is no US federal law that prohibits those Texas House Democrats from being here in the state of Illinois.”
Great quote. No notes.
- 1995 - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 12:47 pm:
==I welcome the FBI coming to the state. I hope they take in the State Fair. I hope they go see the beauty of Lake Michigan.==
The governor knows the FBI is already here, right? It has field offices in Chicago and Springfield and has for a long time. So, yeah, they’ve been to the lake and the fair. And I presume locating the Texas folks won’t be too hard, since everyone already knows where they are. SMH over this whole thing.
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 12:54 pm:
America in 2025: FBI joins witch hunt for liberal Texas legislators rather than the person threatening to assassinate them.
- OneMan - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 12:59 pm:
The Q center is Anderson’s old training and meeting center, not exactly a ‘high security facility’. I guess you need to be an Alpha Warrior to visit the mean streets of St Charles.
- fs - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 1:00 pm:
The Party of Lincoln, who once as a State Legislaror (checks notes) jumped out of a statehouse window to prevent a quorum being present, now believes such actions to be illegal, undemocratic and some say even treasonous.
I’m sure none of the politicians screaming about that have conveniently “taken a walk” at the same time a vote was occurring, either.
- Occasionally Moderated - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 1:11 pm:
Is it safe to assume Sen. John Cornyn has spoken out in oppostion of the “politicization of the FBI/Dept. of justice”?
- Rudy’s teeth - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 1:13 pm:
There might be a battle to change NWI to. Republican district. That area has long been a Democratic stronghold since the days of Robert Pastrick and East Chicago politics.
The current office holder is Democrat Frank Mrvan. Mrvan’s father served in the Indiana from 1978-1995. Then again from 1998-2022.
Many ethnic roots and long established traditions in The Region.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 1:17 pm:
I’m not sure under what authority Cornyn thinks the FBI can act under.
Just when you think Republicans can’t get any closer to dictatorship they manage to do so.
- Pundent - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 1:26 pm:
=The governor knows the FBI is already here, right?=
It’s sarcasm. Some might call it trolling. I can assure you that the governor is familiar with where the FBI offices are.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 1:52 pm:
===The Party of Lincoln===
Lincoln wasn’t a real Republican. He was a left wing extremist Whig posing as a Republican.
/snark
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 2:14 pm:
Even the lies are bigger in Texas.
- Anyone Remember - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 3:55 pm:
IF Rep. Spain gets his way (not holding my breath on that), what’s next? Imitating his GOP cousins from Oregon to use lack of quorum to prevent votes on gun control? Reproductive rights? Taxes & spending?
CA used to have a Depression-era voter approved 2/3rds vote requirement for taxes & spending, which was why they always had a budget 3ish weeks into the new fiscal year. Until then-Gov. Brown got the voters to repeal it. Rep. Spain’s dream?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Aug 7, 25 @ 4:06 pm:
=== Imitating his GOP cousins from Oregon to use lack of quorum to prevent votes ===
I mean, it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility that the House reaches a two-thirds super-majority next year. The Senate is already there.