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Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to expel Democratic lawmakers who have fled Texas to stop Republicans from moving ahead with efforts to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
Most Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives, who Abbott has accused of potentially committing felonies, left the state on Sunday so that the House would not have enough votes for a quorum. Without a quorum, legislative proceedings cannot move forward. The lawmakers fled as Republicans have been trying to pass legislation establishing new congressional districts in the state, which Republicans argue have been unfairly gerrymandered in favor of Democrats and need to be adjusted.
Abbott told lawmakers in a letter sent Sunday that if they do not return by the time the house reconvenes at 4 p.m. ET he will “invoke Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382 to remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House.”
GOV. ABOTT CALLS OUT DEMOCRATS FOR ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ PROTESTS TO GOP-LED REDISTRICTING
“In addition to abandoning their offices, these legislators may also have committed felonies,” Abbott added in his letter. “Many absentee Democrats are soliciting funds to evade the fines they will incur under House rules.”
Earlier Monday, Abbott said it would be considered bribery “if any lawmaker took money to perform or to refuse to perform an act in the legislature.”
In response to Abbott’s threats, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., described the governor’s actions as “all hat, no cattle,” noting that there was “no basis to charge” the lawmakers.
“Gov. Abbott is making idle threats,” Jeffries insisted during an interview Monday with CNN.
TEXAS MAP FIGHT ESCALATES AS JEFFRIES VOWS ‘ALL OPTIONS’ TO STOP GOP PLAN
Democrats nationwide have responded to the GOP redistricting efforts in Texas with threats to do the same in Democratic-controlled states like New York and California.
Last week, Jeffries said during a press conference that “all options should be on the table” amid the Texas redistricting battle.
Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has said California should “fight fire with fire” when it comes to the GOP’s mid-decade redistricting efforts.
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared Monday that “the gloves are off,” adding that she intends to explore “every option” to redraw her state’s congressional maps “as soon as possible.”
Congressional maps are typically redrawn once every 10 years, following the completion of the U.S. Census, but currently Texas is trying to re-draw their maps mid-decade without any new census data, or even a court order. Still, Abbott has insisted that “there’s nothing illegal” about what Republicans are trying to do in Texas.
The new maps in Texas, which President Donald Trump supports, could potentially help Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives pick up five seats, the president said last month. Trump’s Department of Justice previously sent Aboott a letter in early July, alleging that some congressional districts in Texas could be considered racially gerrymandered and in violation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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