One of the Texas Democrats who fled her state over a GOP plan to draw new state House district lines said rhetoric from the right is putting a “dangerous target” on state lawmakers’ backs.
“I’m terrified at the rhetoric coming from both my colleagues, the governor, the attorney general and the president. It’s putting a dangerous target on our backs,” Democratic state Rep. Mary Gonzalez said on a call with reporters.
“Words have consequences. And in a moment in time like right now, when you’re saying ‘Hunt them down. Here’s [their] location. Go get them,’ what do they think is going to happen?”
More than 50 Texas Democratic state legislators broke quorum over the weekend, depriving the state House of the numbers it needs to move forward with a redistricting proposal backed by President Trump. The Democrats fanned out to blue strongholds, including Illinois and New York, to try and wait out the ongoing 30-day special session in the Lone Star State.
But Republican Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) announced on Thursday that the FBI had approved his request to help law enforcement locate and arrest the quorum-breaking Democrats.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) later said that the FBI is “tracking down the derelict Democrats,” who would be taken to the Texas Capitol.
Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has said “we should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.”
The participating Democrats each face a $500-a-day fine, as well as potential removal and Abbott’s threat of bribery charges.
“Fifty very different people from very different parts of the state said we have to at least stand up and put our livelihood at risk – the $500 a day fine is not a joke – to put our seats at risk, to put our health and safety at risk, to put our families … everything we have at risk. I’m just proud we did that,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez made her comments on a call with other Texas Democrats who blasted Republicans for focusing on redistricting instead of aid after devastating floods hit Texas last month, hitting back at GOP arguments that Democrats’ quorum break is stalling aid progress.
“We have spent an astronomical amount of time on racial illegal gerrymandering and redistricting that absolutely is going to allow politicians to pick their people instead of the other way around,” said Democratic state Sen. Molly Cook.
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