Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking a Tarrant County judge to hold Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke in contempt of court—seeking fines and jail time—after accusing him of openly defying a temporary restraining order that barred him from fundraising for runaway Democrat lawmakers’ personal expenses.
The TRO, issued Friday, August 8, by Judge Megan Fahey just hours after Paxton sued O’Rourke and his group Powered by People, prohibits “raising funds for non-political purposes … [for] unexcused Texas legislators … through the ActBlue platform or any other platform that purports to exist for political fundraising purposes.”
The state’s lawsuit alleges O’Rourke misled donors by advertising contributions as political support to “fight” Republicans while using the funds for impermissible personal expenses—private jets, luxury hotels, and dining—incurred by House Democrats who fled the state to break quorum during the current special session. Paxton’s office says that conduct constitutes bribery, violates Texas election laws against personal use of political funds, and runs afoul of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
In the contempt motion filed Tuesday, Paxton says O’Rourke almost immediately thumbed his nose at the TRO. At a Fort Worth rally on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the order was signed, O’Rourke allegedly told hundreds of attendees, “There are no refs in this game, f*** the rules,” before twice directing them to text FIGHT to a phone number linked to the same ActBlue fundraising page cited in the state’s lawsuit. Paxton’s filing says O’Rourke promoted the link on social media hours after the TRO and continued to solicit donations at later events, including an August 10 Abilene town hall.
Given what Paxton calls O’Rourke’s “vulgar disdain for the rule of law and immense personal wealth,” the attorney general says imprisonment is “absolutely necessary to persuade him to obey the lawful restraining order.”
“Beto told me ‘to come and take,’ so I did and beat him in court. Now, he still thinks he’s above the law, so I’m working to put him behind bars,” Paxton said. “Robert Francis flagrantly and knowingly violated the court order I secured that prevents him from raising funds and distributing any more Beto Bribes. He’s about to find out that running your mouth and ignoring the rule of law has consequences in Texas. It’s time to lock him up.”
Paxton is asking the court to fine O’Rourke and Powered by People $500 for each violation of the TRO and to jail O’Rourke until he demonstrates a willingness to comply with the order.
O’Rourke is denying the accusation, writing in a social media post “We 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. Taking the fight directly to this corrupt, lying thug.”
