Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday filed a motion seeking to have former Democrat Rep. Beto O'Rourke fined and jailed on contempt of court charges for continuing to raise funds to cover the expenses for Democrat lawmakers who left the state to block a vote for redistricting legislation.
"Beto is about to find out that running your mouth and ignoring the rule of law has consequences in Texas," reported The Hill. "It's time to lock him up."
The motion alleges that O'Rourke and his political group, Powered by People, kept raising funds for the Democrat lawmakers who remain out of state, in defiance of a Tarrant County judge's temporary restraining order.
The filing requests that O'Rourke be put behind bars until he complies with the court's directives and calls for a fine of $500 for each alleged violation of the court's order.
Paxton's move escalates the legal confrontation over O'Rourke's efforts to fund the Democrats, which has drawn complaints from Republican officials who say the activity amounts to improper financial support.
Paxton, who is running for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, told Newsmax last week that his office was going to open an investigation into how Powered by People has been funding the lawmakers' exodus and said that investigators would determine whether the assistance could constitute bribery or violate campaign finance rules.
O'Rourke's PAC, along with other outside groups, including a George Soros-backed group, the Texas Majority PAC, are reportedly the primary backers supporting the Democrats who left Texas.
The PACs are said to have flown the 57 Texas Democrats out of state via private plane and are paying for their food and lodging in Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.