Attorney General Ken Paxton announced his office has launched a formal investigation into Powered by People, the political organization founded by former Democrat Congressman Beto O’Rourke, alleging it may have engaged in an “illegal financial influence scheme to bribe runaway Democrats who fled Texas to break quorum.”
“We’re going to find out if they’ve done anything inappropriate, whether it’s a bribe or whether some type of other campaign finance laws were broken,” Paxton said during an interview with Chris Salcedo on Newsmax.
Paxton said Powered by People has been one of the “top groups bankrolling the Texas House Democrat members who abandoned Texans and vacated their offices,” and suggested the group may have violated multiple Texas laws, including bribery statutes, campaign and officeholder finance rules, coercion of a public servant, and abuse of office.
The group currently has a $3.5 million warchest according to the most recent reporting.
As part of the investigation, Paxton has issued a formal demand for documents and communications related to the organization’s role in the quorum break and any coordination with Democrat lawmakers.
The move comes as Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott increase pressure on absent lawmakers, many of whom remain out-of-state. Paxton has already threatened legal action to vacate the seats of members who do not return by Friday, the deadline set by House Speaker Dustin Burrows, while Abbott has filed a lawsuit to remove State Rep. Gene Wu, the chair of the House Democrat Caucus.
“Texans deserve better,” said Paxton. “They deserve lawmakers who show up to work—not ones who hop on private jets and take out-of-state handouts to sabotage the legislative process.”
As of publication, Powered by People has not commented on the investigation.
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