Abbott orders arrests of 'derelict' Democrats after they flout his deadline

Repeating a strategy from their 2021 playbook, scores of Texas House Democrats fled the Lone Star State on Sunday — a decision they may come to regret.

The last time that they abandoned their posts en masse, Texas House Democrats were attempting to prevent the passage of legislation that would improve election integrity. This time around, the legislators are desperately trying to block a redistricting plan that would help the GOP gain five more congressional pickup opportunities ahead of the midterm elections.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) indicated that unless the "derelict Democrat House members" returned to Texas and showed up when the House reconvened at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, they would be removed from office.

Abbott noted further that the absentee legislators could face felony charges if they sought and/or took money to avoid the vote and pay down their $500-per-day fine for breaking the quorum.

Now that the deadline has passed and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) announced Monday afternoon that a "quorum is not present," Abbott quickly made clear that there would be real consequences.

The eponymous host of BlazeTV's "Sara Gonzales Unfiltered" told Blaze News, "Governor Abbott must hold these lawless Democrats accountable. Our leadership cannot allow Democrats to dictate the direction of the state when the Texans voted for a clear Republican majority."

RELATED: Gov. Abbott threatens to remove from office 'derelict' Democrats who abdicated their duties

  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

"Governor Abbott and Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows face what may be the most defining moment of their careers today," continued Gonzales. "Vacate the seats, issue arrest warrants, and charge those soliciting donations to evade fines with felonies. Set a precedent that this can never happen again."

"It is imperative that Texas leads on this," added the BlazeTV host.

Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck noted that he hopes, "if a court approves it, that Governor Abbott replaces every one of them."

When making his threat on Sunday, Abbott referred to an August 2021 advisory opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton, which states that "through a quo warranto action, a district court may determine that a legislator has forfeited his or her office due to abandonment and can remove the legislator from office, thereby creating a vacancy."

While uncertain about the speediness and workability of the removal proposal, Paxton appeared confident on Monday that state Republicans would ultimately prevail with the help of Abbott's resolve, Democrat arrests, and time.

RELATED: Democrat offers bizarre spin on imploding support for his party — and he's getting amazing backlash

  Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"Now that they've let them out of the state, it's going to take a little longer," Paxton told Benny Johnson, "but I am very optimistic if the governor — and I believe the governor will have resolve — if keeps calling them back, it's going to be a challenge for all 51 of them to stay out of the state for the rest of their lives."

After the Monday deadline, Paxton stated, "Instead of showing up to work and doing the jobs they were elected to do, House Democrat members have fled the state in a cowardly desertion of their responsibilities as elected officials. These jet-setting runaways abandoned Texas, abdicated their duties in the House, and sacrificed their constituents for a publicity stunt."

"I am prepared to do everything in my power to hold them accountable because these liberal lawmakers are not above the law," continued Paxton. "It's imperative that they be swiftly arrested, punished, and face the full force of the law for turning their backs on the people of Texas."

The Texas House passed a motion Monday to issue arrest warrants for the Democrats who abandoned their posts.

House Democrats who broke quorum can be dragged into the state legislature thanks to a 2021 Texas Supreme Court ruling.

After the House issued warrants to compel members back to the chamber, Abbott announced that he had ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to "locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans."

"This order will remain in effect until all missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought to the Texas Capitol," added the governor.

Aaron Reitz, a Republican candidate for Texas attorney general and former Trump Department of Justice official, told Blaze News, "Governor Abbott has made clear what needs to happen. Democrats should return to work and accept that Texas will have these maps — whether the Left likes it or not. Their resistance is futile."

Reitz took aim at the Democrat legislators' rhetoric surrounding their collective abdication of duty, noting, "Democrats are accusing Republicans of anti-democratic behavior to distract from their own. This isn’t a power-grab — these new districts more accurately reflect the political preferences and geographic realities of Texas voters and comply with current court rulings."

"The real issue for Democrats is that these maps ruin their plan to seize a House majority in 2026," continued Reitz. "That’s why they’re resorting to political stunts instead of doing their jobs."

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