A side-by-side of George Soros, left, and Beto O'Rourke. (Getty Images)
The Texas Democrats fled the state in an effort to kill a special session called by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw maps in the Lone Star State. The lawmakers fled in a bid to prevent a quorum to prevent legislation from moving forward.
Cornyn previously called on FBI Director Kash Patel to help find the legislators. His latest letter comes on the heels of reports from the Texas Tribune that O’Rourke’s PAC has played a major role in financially supporting the roughly 50 Democrats who departed for New York and Illinois, paying for airfare, lodging and helping with the $500-per-day fines the lawmakers face for skipping the legislative session.
The Soros-aligned PAC is also reportedly working with national fundraising groups to secure additional funding for the legislators.
Fox News Digital reached out to both organizations for comment.
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Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke speaks to attendees during a "Our Fight, Our Future" rally at The Millennium bowling alley on Oct. 2, 2024 in Austin. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
He said that "at a minimum, it appears likely that Texas state bribery and corruption laws may have been broken" by both the legislators who accepted benefits and the groups linked to O’Rourke and Soros "who provided these corrupt funds."
And O’Rourke’s group may have violated federal campaign finance laws for spending money in prohibited ways, Cornyn noted, like "expenditures being made for individuals’ personal use, which would include food, lodging, and travel unrelated to electioneering activities."
"I therefore request that you also work with the [Federal Election Commission] to examine both the sources of funding for the special interest groups and PACs funding the House members’ dereliction of duty and how those funds have been spent to ensure compliance with all federal laws and regulations," he wrote.
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Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, during the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Cornyn’s request also follows a similar demand made by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The pair is locked in an already bloody primary battle to capture the Republican nomination for Senate in the Lone Star State.
Paxton on Tuesday requested that a Texas district judge jail O’Rourke over allegations that he violated a court order issued last week that prohibited fundraising meant to back the efforts by Texas Democratic lawmakers to blow up the redistricting effort.
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Cornyn noted that the lawmakers’ flight not only blocked the redistricting effort, but also harmed legislation that would provide aid to victims of the recent devastating Texas floods.
"The special session will end in a matter of days, at which point, assistance to flood victims and other needed measures will go unaddressed," Cornyn said. "The absconding House members’ dereliction of duty is truly shameful."
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
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