NEW: Group Tied To Dem Presidential Hopeful Hit With Criminal Investigation

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday that an organization tied to Beto O’Rourke, a perennial Democrat candidate who ran for president in 2020, is the subject of a criminal investigation for “unlawfully” funding Democrats who fled the state in order to sabotage a vote on redistricting.

In a press release, Paxton announced that a criminal investigation has been launched into O’Rourke’s “radical” organization, Powered by People. The release cites “unlawful activity, including potentially operating an illegal financial influence scheme to bribe runaway Democrats who fled Texas to break quorum.”

Paxton’s Office has taken a number of steps to end the Democrats’ blockade of the Republican-dominated legislature’s bill, including the beginning of a formal process to remove absent lawmakers from office.

“Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Texas cannot be bought. I look forward to thoroughly reviewing all of the documents and communications obtained throughout this investigation. These jet-setting runaways have already lost public trust by abandoning our state, and Texans deserve to know if they received illegal bribes to do it.”

Citing publicly available reports, Paxton’s office noted that Powered by People is among the groups funding the absent Democrats. The lawmakers spent several days coordinating with Democrat governors, including J.D. Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado, to come up with a plan to flee the Lonestar State in order to delay the vote on redistricting.

Many of the lawmakers have been staying in hotels funded by left-wing activist groups. This includes Powered by People, according to a report from ABC News. “Powered by People, a voter registration and mobilization group, has been donating to the Texas House Democratic Caucus — not members directly, or for any line-item expense — to help cover upfront costs for the group, such as lodging and transportation,” a spokesperson for O’Rourke’s group told the outlet.

O’Rourke has also kept regular contact with the absent lawmakers as the standoff unfolds. “We will have the backs of these heroic state lawmakers for as long as it takes to stop Trump’s power grab,” O’Rourke told ABC News.

“By providing these liberal lawmakers with the funds to flee the state, Powered by People may have violated bribery laws,” Paxton’s office stated in the press release. “Powered by People and the runaway Democrats may have also violated other Texas laws, including, but not limited to, those governing campaign or officeholder contributions and expenditures, coercion of a public servant, and abuse of office.”

As part of the investigation, Paxton has issued a Request to Examine, which demands documents and communications from the group regarding potentially unlawful activity, “including its involvement in the Democrats’ scheme to break quorum.”

BREAKING: I just launched an investigation into Beto O'Rourke's radical group for unlawfully funding runaway Democrats.

Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/PV2IdwNOBd

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 6, 2025

The latest investigation comes after Paxton announced that he will be taking “aggressive” legal action against any Texas Democrats who refuse to return to Austin in order to allow a vote.

The Texas House – which is currently comprised of 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats – cannot vote on the proposed redraw unless two-thirds of its members are present. “This is not a decision we make lightly, but it is one we make with absolute moral clarity,” Gene Wu, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said in a statement.

Under Texas law, the House sergeants-at-arms and the state Department of Safety have legal authority to locate and retrieve absent members within Texas borders, State Rep. Nate Schatzline explained.

Texas Democrats previously broke quorum in 2003 and 2021. In 2003, they attempted to stop a mid-decade redistricting, while in 2021 they tried to block an election bill with sweeping voting restrictions. Both efforts were unsuccessful.

On Tuesday, Paxton announced that he will be pursuing a court ruling seeking to ensure that all seats held by Democrats who fled would be declared vacant. If successful, state Republicans could schedule special elections in order to fill the seats. The move comes after Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows gave absent lawmakers until Friday, August 8, to return to Texas and present themselves before the House.