Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) says FBI Director Kash Patel has approved his request to help state and local law enforcement locate Texas Democrats who have fled the Lone Star State in hopes of stalling a partisan redistricting effort.
“I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” Cornyn said in a statement Thursday morning.
“I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for thr federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas,” Cornyn said.
Cornyn posted on the social platform X earlier Thursday that Patel had “responded to my request to assist state & local law enforcement locate the runaway Texas House Democrats and investigate potential offenses.”
“Thank you Director Patel for your swift response & action!” Cornyn posted.
Cornyn asked Patel in an Aug. 5 letter for the FBI to “take any appropriate steps to aid in Texas state law enforcement efforts to locate or arrest potential lawbreakers who have fled the state” to stop a Republican-led redistricting effort from moving forward.
The state lawmakers have left Texas to prevent the state House from achieving a quorum, which is necessary for the Republicans’ redistricting legislation to move forward.
Cornyn says the lawmakers are “potentially acting in violation of the law” and that the FBI has the tools to aid state law enforcement when parties cross state lines.
“Specifically, I am concerned that legislators who solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses,” he wrote earlier this week.
The senator warned that his request is a “time-sensitive matter,” as the Texas Legislature is in a special session with two weeks left to redraw the congressional map.
President Trump has also supported the effort.
The Hill reached out to the Justice Department for a response to Cornyn’s comments.
Updated at 9:50 a.m. EDT
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