Sen. Cornyn calls on FBI to help bring back Texas Dems that fled the state

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WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 13: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) listens Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, former head of security at Twitter, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on data security at Twitter, on Capitol Hill, September 13, 2022 in Washingt

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WASHINGTON - Sen. John Cornyn is calling on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to aid Texas in investigating and holding accountable Democrats that fled the state to avoid voting on redrawn congressional districts meant to add five Republican seats to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Cornyn asked the agency to aid the state's effort to "locate or arrest potential lawbreakers."

What they're saying:

"In a representative democracy, we resolve our differences by debating and voting, not by running away," Cornyn said. "Some Texas legislators have fled to New York, and others have fled to Illinois. Since these state legislators are currently outside of Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety may need support to arrest the fleeing lawmakers."

Democrats face fines for fleeing the state

"The FBI has tools to aid state law enforcement when parties cross state lines, including to avoid testifying or fleeing a scene of a crime," Cornyn said. "Specifically, I am concerned that legislators who solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses."

Lawmakers are fined $500 per day for each day they do not attend the session. Gov. Greg Abbott said on Sunday that members could face felony charges for "soliciting funds."

More than 50 Texas House Democrats left the state to stop Republican lawmakers from redrawing congressional maps.

Democrats tried a similar tactic in 2021 in an attempt to block Republicans from overhauling the state's election laws.

"Governor Abbott and Texas state law enforcement officers are doing what they can within the confines of the law, but federal help may be necessary," Cornyn said. "These legislators have committed potential criminal acts in their rush to avoid their constitutional responsibilities and must be fully investigated and held accountable."

Texas Republicans say maps were drawn to help political performance.

Currently, Republicans hold 25 of Texas’ 38 House seats. The proposed map could help Republicans pick up five more. The plan would dismantle four congressional districts that the U.S. Department of Justice said unconstitutionally combined Black and Hispanic voters. The state has disputed that charge in an ongoing lawsuit, arguing the lines were drawn without an eye toward race.

The draft advanced by a House committee would have likely faced changes before getting final approval from both chambers of the Legislature and Gov. Greg Abbott, but Texas Republicans made their partisan intentions clear.

Setting aside the legal justification offered by the DOJ, state Rep. Todd Hunter, the Republican state lawmaker championing the redistricting legislation, said the proposed "five new districts are based on political performance".

While the newly drafted district lines almost certainly assure Republicans at least some new seats, an analysis of the tentative redistricting plan suggests the GOP is far from guaranteed to gain all five seats.