Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a victory, stopping Democrat activist Robert Francis O’Rourke and his Left-wing activist organization, Powered by People, from sending money to rogue Texas Democrats.
On August 8, Paxton sued O’Rourke, along with his organization, to prevent him from engaging in fundraising activity in support of the Texas House Democrats who fled the state in order to deprive the Texas House of a quorum and thus scuttle efforts to pass a congressional redistricting bill that could allow Republicans to pick up another five additional seats in the upcoming midterm elections.
According to Paxton, O’Rourke and PBP were engaging in illegal fundraising activity, “including potentially operating a misleading financial-influence scheme” to fund derelict Texas Democrats fleeing the state to stop legislative proceedings from taking place.
After filing his suit, Tarrant County Judge Megan Fahey granted Paxton a temporary restraining order, halting all expenditures and fundraising efforts while litigation proceeds. Paxton touted the legal victory…
“The Beto Bribe buyouts that were bankrolling the runaway Democrats have been officially stopped,” said Paxton. “People like Robert believe Texas can be bought. Today, I stopped his deceptive financial influence scheme that attempted to deceive donors and subvert our constitutional process. They told me to ‘come and take it,’ so I did.”
The Democrats fled the state to stop plans to redraw Texas’ congressional map, claiming it targets Black and Latino communities.
Paxton argues that the funds donated were being used for personal expenditures, including out-of-state travel, hotel, or dining accommodations or services to unexcused legislators while a special session is under way.
O’Rourke claims that Paxton is lying about him and trying to “silence us.” He continued, saying that they have “alerted the Court that the AG’s office blatantly lied in its filing. We’re seeking maximum sanctions in response to his abuse of office.”
Under Texas Penal Code 32.42, it prohibits any organization from engaging in false, misleading, and deceptive acts, including raising funds for non-political purposes. An offense can result in a Class C misdemeanor if the person commits an offense with criminal negligence and has not been previously convicted of a deceptive business practice. A Class A misdemeanor can be handed out if the person commits an offense “intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or if he has been previously convicted of a Class B or C misdemeanor under this section.
On Thursday, Fahey delayed the hearing until September 2, stating that she had not yet had the time to review the relevant documents for the case. However, on August 27, the Fifteenth Court of Appeals ruled in favor of O’Rourke, allowing him to resume his “deceptive scheme” and stopping the September 2 hearing.
Paxton has since appealed the order by the Fifteenth Court of Appeals to the Texas Supreme Court, asking it to vacate the appeals court’s decision.