Abbott says FBI is ‘tracking down’ Texas Democrats

(The Hill) – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said on Thursday that the FBI is “tracking down” Democratic state lawmakers who fled the Lone Star State as the GOP looks to return them to the state Capitol. 

“Texas DPS and the FBI are tracking down the derelict Democrats. They will be taken directly to the Texas Capitol,” Abbott wrote on X.  

“Those who received benefits for skipping a vote face removal from office and potential bribery charges,” he continued. “In Texas, there are consequences for your actions.” 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) earlier on Thursday said that the FBI had approved his request to have the FBI help law enforcement agencies track down the Democrats, who fled the state over the weekend to block Republicans from passing an even friendlier GOP House map.  

The FBI declined to comment to The Hill about what Cornyn’s statement means or if it plans to speak publicly about it. 

It’s also not clear what the FBI has agreed to in terms of aiding Republicans. 

Experts that spoke with The Hill on Wednesday expressed skepticism that the FBI even had the jurisdiction to aid Texas Republicans in forcing Democrats to return to the state. 

“I don’t see why the FBI would be involved in this at all. I mean this is Texas politics and the FBI has no business trying to enforce Texas state law,” Richard Painter, who served as associate counsel to the president in the White House counsel’s office during former President George W. Bush’s second term, told The Hill. 

“The only federal law that I think is being violated in Texas and in Illinois and several other states is voting rights. I think gerrymandering violates voting rights, but the U.S. Supreme Court’s not willing to do anything about it,” he added, referring to a 2019 decision that said that the issue of gerrymandering is not within the scope of the federal courts. 

The GOP calls to have the FBI involved have drawn strong rebukes from Democrats. 

“The FBI has no business — or legal authority — to track down Texas House Democrats. The list of people willing to abuse their power to help Trump steal five congressional seats is growing. It’s a threat to the rule of law and our democracy,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), who was a Texas state lawmaker in 2003 who broke quorum during Texas GOP’s mid-decade redistricting.