Just hours after Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke and his group Powered by People, a Tarrant County district court issued a temporary restraining order stopping what Paxton called an “unlawful, deceptive financial influence scheme” to bankroll runaway Democrat lawmakers who fled the state to break quorum.
Paxton alleges O’Rourke misled donors by soliciting money through political platforms like ActBlue under the guise of fighting Republicans while using the funds to cover Democrats’ personal expenses—including private jet travel, luxury hotels, and dining—during the ongoing special session. The lawsuit claims the fundraising constitutes bribery, violates Texas election laws against personal use of political contributions, and runs afoul of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
“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 TRO freezes further fundraising and expenditures while litigation continues. Paxton is also suing 13 Democrat lawmakers in the Texas Supreme Court to have their seats declared vacant.
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