Texas AG asks judge to arrest Beto O'Rourke for redistricting battle fundraising
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking a judge to jail Beto O'Rourke, claiming the former Democratic congressman violated a court order by fundraising to support the dozens of state Democratic lawmakers who have fled the state amid its redistricting battle.
The attorney general’s request builds on a previous order, granted by a Texas county judge earlier this month, barring O’Rourke and his nonprofit, Powered by People, from raising money to help fund the Democratic lawmakers’ exodus from the state more than a week ago. Paxton claimed in his filing to the Tarrant County court on Aug. 12 that O’Rourke violated the fundraising block by soliciting donations through the Democrats’ ActBlue platform.
"He’s about to find out that running your mouth and ignoring the rule of law has consequences in Texas," Paxton said in a statement released alongside the filing. "It’s time to lock him up."
Paxton’s move is the latest in growing escalations between Democrats and Republicans in the Lone Star state, as the standoff over GOP attempts to redraw congressional boundaries in Texas. The redistricting attempt could add another five Republican seats to Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and is seen as blatant gerrymandering efforts by Democrats.
In response, Democrats decamped the state en masse, many taking refuge in blue-led states like Illinois and New York, to prevent the vote from taking place in Austin, Texas, where the Republicans’ firm majority would all but guarantee the revised maps pass.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the arrest of the dozens of Democratic lawmakers who have fled while Paxton asked the state Supreme Court to oust them from office over their absence, arguing they abandoned their seats.
In the first sentence of the court filing, Paxton quoted the former congressman at an Aug. 9 Fort Worth event saying: "There are no refs in this game, f--- the rules," claiming O’Rourke was "disparaging” the previous court order.
In response, O’Rourke posted the full clip of his speech at the event to X, saying that Paxton took his words out of context in the filing. In the full recorded video of the speech, O’Rourke is speaking about the Democrats’ attempts to put forward their own revised maps in states like California, New Jersey, Maryland, and Illinois, telling the crowd that blue states should redistrict now and "not wait for Texas to move first."
"You may say to yourself, 'Well, those aren’t the rules,'" O’Rourke says immediately after speaking about the Democrats’ redistricting efforts. "There are no refs in this game, f--- the rules, we are going to win. Whatever it takes, we are going to take this to them in every way that we can."
O’Rourke said in his post on X on Aug. 12 that the attorney general's office lied in its filing.
"We’re seeking maximum sanctions in response to his abuse of office," he said. "Taking the fight directly to this corrupt, lying thug."
Along with jail time, the attorney general is also requesting O’Rourke be held in contempt and fined $500.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for Paste BN. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.