Republican claims of federal assistance to find runaway lawmakers draw sharp rebuke from top Democrats, who accuse the Trump administration of weaponizing law enforcement.
Claims by Texas Republicans that the FBI is getting involved in the effort to track down and possibly detain Democratic state lawmakers who fled Texas have been met with a furious response from congressional Democrats, who are calling the development an “egregious politicization” of the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
The controversy erupted after Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) stated on Thursday that FBI Director Kash Patel had approved his request to assist state and local law enforcement in locating the absent Texas House Democrats and investigating potential offenses.
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“I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas,” Cornyn said in a statement.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY) was quick to condemn the move, calling it a misuse of the FBI. “The Trump administration continues to weaponize law enforcement to target political adversaries,” Jeffries said on social media. “These extremists don’t give a damn about public safety.”
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Jeffries, who has been a vocal opponent of the Texas redistricting effort, argued that the FBI lacks the legal authority to intervene in a state-level political dispute.
“There would be no authority for the FBI to target Democrats from the Texas legislature in connection with an act that Democrats have taken that is authorized by the Texas Constitution,” he told ABC News Live. He characterized the redistricting plan as a “clear power grab because Donald Trump and House Republicans are desperate to try to hold on to their thin majority in the House of Representatives.”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, echoed these concerns, stating that “this ridiculous misuse of federal law enforcement for political ends should be rejected by any fair-minded person.”
The backdrop to Cornyn’s push for FBI involvement is his own political situation. He faces a tough primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has also been a central figure in the state’s efforts to force the Democrats back. Democrats suggest Cornyn’s actions are a way to shore up support with the Republican base ahead of the primary.
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