Judge Shuts Down Beto O’Rourke’s Million-Dollar Scheme to Fund Fleeing Texas Democrats
The redistricting battle at the heart of this political exodus involves Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps that could add five GOP seats to the House. Rather than engage in the democratic process, dozens of Democratic lawmakers chose to deny Republicans the quorum needed to vote, transforming the Texas Capitol into an expensive game of political hide-and-seek.
Enter Beto O’Rourke and his nonprofit Powered by People, which has been bankrolling this legislative vacation with private jet travel, luxury accommodations, and daily expense coverage. The former presidential candidate positioned himself as the financial lifeline keeping Democratic obstruction alive, soliciting donations from across the country to fund what critics call an elaborate bribery scheme.
But on Friday evening, the curtain fell on O’Rourke’s funding operation when Tarrant County Judge Megan Fahey handed down a temporary restraining order that legally blocked the flow of cash to the runaway legislators.
Defendants have and will continue to engage in unlawful fundraising practices and utilization of political funds in a manner that either directly violates or causes Texas Democratic Legislators to violate [the law]. Consumer have and continue to suffer irreparable harm through these unlawful acts because they are making political contributions that are being used to fund personal expenses and violate state law.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit successfully demonstrated that O’Rourke’s organization was using political contributions to cover personal expenses for legislators, including what CBS News reported as over $1 million in private jet travel and luxury hotel stays. The judge’s ruling effectively cut off the financial spigot that had been sustaining this costly political theater.
O’Rourke’s response was predictably defiant, claiming Paxton was trying to “silence dissent” and “steal congressional seats.” But his victim narrative rings hollow when measured against the legal reality that his fundraising operation violated state law. Paxton’s succinct response captured the moment perfectly: “Cry more, lib. You lost in court because you’re breaking the law and deceiving Texans.”
Here’s what really gets me about this whole circus: while ordinary Texans are working and paying taxes, their elected representatives are enjoying donor-funded vacations in Illinois and California. Since when did fleeing your job become a form of civic duty? These lawmakers are collecting state paychecks while abandoning their constitutional duties—because apparently that’s how democracy works now.
Enter Beto O’Rourke and his nonprofit Powered by People, which has been bankrolling this legislative vacation with private jet travel, luxury accommodations, and daily expense coverage. The former presidential candidate positioned himself as the financial lifeline keeping Democratic obstruction alive, soliciting donations from across the country to fund what critics call an elaborate bribery scheme.
But on Friday evening, the curtain fell on O’Rourke’s funding operation when Tarrant County Judge Megan Fahey handed down a temporary restraining order that legally blocked the flow of cash to the runaway legislators.
Defendants have and will continue to engage in unlawful fundraising practices and utilization of political funds in a manner that either directly violates or causes Texas Democratic Legislators to violate [the law]. Consumer have and continue to suffer irreparable harm through these unlawful acts because they are making political contributions that are being used to fund personal expenses and violate state law.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit successfully demonstrated that O’Rourke’s organization was using political contributions to cover personal expenses for legislators, including what CBS News reported as over $1 million in private jet travel and luxury hotel stays. The judge’s ruling effectively cut off the financial spigot that had been sustaining this costly political theater.
O’Rourke’s response was predictably defiant, claiming Paxton was trying to “silence dissent” and “steal congressional seats.” But his victim narrative rings hollow when measured against the legal reality that his fundraising operation violated state law. Paxton’s succinct response captured the moment perfectly: “Cry more, lib. You lost in court because you’re breaking the law and deceiving Texans.”
Here’s what really gets me about this whole circus: while ordinary Texans are working and paying taxes, their elected representatives are enjoying donor-funded vacations in Illinois and California. Since when did fleeing your job become a form of civic duty? These lawmakers are collecting state paychecks while abandoning their constitutional duties—because apparently that’s how democracy works now.
70-79, M
