On Wednesday, Sen. John Cornyn (R–Texas) announced that the FBI had assigned "agents in both the San Antonio and Austin office" to his request that the agency help Texas law enforcement track down more than 50 House Democrats who left the state Sunday afternoon to delay a vote on redistricting plans proposed by the Republican majority.
Texas already has several mechanisms to use in coaxing the Democrats back. Each day they're gone, the fleeing Democrats incur a $500-per-day fine. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott also released an order for their arrest by the Texas Department of Public Safety, describing the Democrats' conduct as "abandonment or forfeiture." Republicans in the Texas House, meanwhile, have issued arrest warrants for the absent Democrats, and Attorney General Ken Paxton—who is challenging Cornyn in his re-election bid—has called for their removal from office.
In his letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Cornyn states that "federal resources are necessary" to find the runaways. Cornyn couches his demands for FBI involvement in a cloak of concern about "solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties," sharing with Patel his belief that Democrats' actions may constitute "bribery or other public corruption offenses." A group backed by former Texas U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D–Texas) is covering the costs of the fines accrued by the AWOL Democrats, according to The Texas Tribune.
