Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Tuesday that he is seeking the arrest of Democrat Robert Francis &#8220;Beto&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke over O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s alleged violation of a court order requiring him to stop fundraising for the AWOL Texas Democrats.
Paxton <a href="https://x.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1955295153079586937">accused</a> O&#8217;Rourke of &#8220;blatantly&#8221; violating a temporary restraining order &#8220;by continuing to fundraise and pay for the personal expenses of runaway Democrat legislators.&#8221; Last week, Tarrant County, Texas, District Court Judge Megan Fahey <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/beto-orourke-blocked-financially-supporting-texas-democrats-fled-state-rcna224002">barred</a> O&#8217;Rourke and his political group, Powered by People, from funding the group of 50 Democrats who fled the state to stop a vote on a GOP-backed Congressional map.
Paxton alleges that O&#8217;Rourke violated the restraining order immediately after it was issued by telling a crowd of supporters that he would continue fundraising for the runaway Democrats. O&#8217;Rourke also told the crowd that Democrats should “f*** the rules” and “win whatever it takes,&#8221; calling on Democrat-led states to redraw Congressional maps to take seats away from Republicans, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/f-the-rules-beto-goes-off-the-rails-says-dems-will-win-whatever-it-takes">reported</a>.
&#8220;There are no refs in this game, f*** the rules, we are going to win whatever it takes. We’re going to take this to him in every way that we can,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke said.
In a press release, Paxton said that O&#8217;Rourke &#8220;is wrong on both counts.&#8221;
&#8220;There is a referee—the Honorable Megan Fahey—and there are rules—namely, that a person violating a temporary restraining order can be fined up to $500 and jailed for up to six months,&#8221; the Texas attorney general added. &#8220;Given Robert Francis&#8217;s vulgar disdain for the rule of law and immense personal wealth, imprisonment is absolutely necessary to persuade him to obey the lawful restraining order issued by the Tarrant County court.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: I&#8217;m taking action to hold Robert Francis O&#8217;Rourke in contempt for violating a court order and scamming Texans.
Beto is about to find out that running your mouth and ignoring the rule of law has consequences in Texas.
It&#8217;s time to lock him up. <a href="https://t.co/JZO4cbBkt1">pic.twitter.com/JZO4cbBkt1</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1955295153079586937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Beto told me to &#8216;come and take,&#8217; so I did and beat him in court. Now, he still thinks he&#8217;s above the law, so I&#8217;m working to put him behind bars,&#8221; Paxton continued.
O&#8217;Rourke shot back at Paxton in a post on X, accusing the attorney general of &#8220;lying about me to try to silence us.&#8221;
&#8220;We alerted the Court that the AG&#8217;s office blatantly lied in its filing. We’re seeking maximum sanctions in response to his abuse of office,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke added. &#8220;Taking the fight directly to this corrupt, lying thug.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
He&#8217;s lying about me to try to silence us.
Here’s the full clip. I mean every word.
We alerted the Court that the AG&#8217;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. <a href="https://t.co/JAfKR3xyH3">https://t.co/JAfKR3xyH3</a> <a href="https://t.co/uQFCG3Jmsg">pic.twitter.com/uQFCG3Jmsg</a>
— Beto O&#8217;Rourke (@BetoORourke) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1955349238956585078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
Paxton launched an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourke-led-group-under-investigation-over-potential-bribes-to-help-runaway-texas-dems">investigation</a> into O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s group last week after it was reported that Powered by People was bankrolling the Texas Democrats who shirked their responsibilities in the state House and fled to Illinois to block a vote on the new Congressional map. The group of Democrats faces a daily $500 fine, along with living expenses in Illinois.
Powered by People <a href="https://poweredxpeople.org/what-we-do/">focuses</a> on organizing volunteers to help Democrats win elections in “competitive Texas battleground districts.” The leftist group says it is also “focused on creating long-term changes to the Texas electorate that will outlast any one candidate or campaign cycle.”
The Democratic legislators <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/post/texas-democrats-illinois-vow-stay-special-session-ends-despite-st-charles-bomb-threat-greg-abbotts-arrests/17504587/">remain</a> out of the state this week, defying last Friday&#8217;s deadline that Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows put in place for their return. The Democrats vowed to stay out of Texas past the 30-day special session, but Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abbott-vows-to-hold-special-sessions-in-texas-for-years-until-delinquent-dems-return">said</a> on Sunday that he would continue to call special sessions.
“I’m authorized to call a special session every 30 days. It lasts 30 days. And as soon as this one is over, I’m gonna call another one, then another one, then another one, then another one,” the governor said.
“If they show back up in the state of Texas, they will be arrested and taken to the capitol. If they want to evade that arrest, they’re gonna have to stay outside of the state of Texas for literally years,” he added. “They might as well just start voting in California or voting in Illinois, wherever they may be.”

Ken Paxton, Beto O’Rourke

Ken Paxton Seeks To Put Democrat Beto O’Rourke ‘Behind Bars’ Over Fundraising For AWOL Dems

Beto O'Rourke

Courts

Democrats

Greg Abbott

Jail

Ken Paxton

Politics

Texas

The FBI will help track down the Democratic state lawmakers who fled Texas in a bid to stop their state legislature from enacting a GOP redistricting plan, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said on Thursday.
Cornyn made the announcement two days after sending a <a href="https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Letter-to-FBI-on-Texas-Legislators.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to FBI Director Kash Patel requesting that the bureau help Texas state law enforcement locate or arrest the Democrats after they potentially broke the law.
&#8220;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,&#8221; Cornyn said in a <a href="https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/fbi-grants-cornyn-request-to-hold-fleeing-texas-legislators-accountable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. &#8220;I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas. We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities.&#8221;
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment when The Daily Wire reached out to the bureau.
President Donald Trump is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-gop-can-get-five-more-house-seats-redistricting-just-one-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushing</a> Texas and other states to redraw their congressional maps with the expectation that Republicans would gain seats. In retaliation, Democrats have rallied for mid-decade redistricting in blue states. Shifting lines could give either party an edge in the 2026 midterm elections.
Dozens of Democratic Texas state lawmakers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-dems-cant-win-redistricting-fight-so-they-bravely-turn-tail-and-flee-the-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went AWOL</a> over the weekend with a stated purpose of preventing the state legislature from passing a new redistricting plan that could lead to Republicans gaining as many as five seats in the U.S. House. They are doing so by denying the quorum needed to conduct business for a special session.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-orders-texas-department-of-public-safety-to-arrest-delinquent-house-democrats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordered</a> the arrest of the Democrats who have refused to return and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abbott-moves-to-oust-democrat-who-led-texas-walkout-stunt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> suit to remove Democrat House Caucus Chair Gene Wu from office after he led the walkout effort.
In his letter to Patel, Cornyn wrote, &#8220;Abbott and Texas state law enforcement officers are doing what they can within the confines of the law, but federal help may be necessary. These legislators have committed potential criminal acts in their rush to avoid their constitutional responsibilities and must be fully investigated and held accountable.&#8221;
Cornyn made the request for FBI support as he runs for another six-year term in the Senate. He is facing a primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/5437325-texas-democrats-paxton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> that he will begin removing the Democratic lawmakers from office if they do not meet a Friday deadline set by the state House speaker. Paxton also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourkes-pac-bankrolls-texas-democrats-escape-from-redistricting-standoff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> an investigation into a group led by Democrat Beto O&#8217;Rourke that is bankrolling the runaway Democrats.
Democrats have criticized the GOP&#8217;s reaction to what they argue is an effort to stop gerrymandering. That includes former Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), who is also running in the 2026 Senate race against Cornyn and Paxton after losing to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in a 2024 contest.
&#8220;This isn&#8217;t about &#8216;locating&#8217; anyone — they&#8217;re not hiding,&#8221; Allred said in a <a href="https://x.com/ColinAllredTX/status/1953463307433545882" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X in response to Cornyn&#8217;s announcement on Thursday. &#8220;It&#8217;s about silencing dissent and weaponizing law enforcement. Cornyn is deputizing the FBI and Paxton is trying to expel lawmakers because they&#8217;re both too weak and corrupt to stand up to Washington. Enough is enough — Texans deserve better.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-nationwide-redistricting-war-is-brewing-this-bill-seeks-to-stop-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: A Nationwide &#8216;Redistricting War&#8217; Is Brewing. This Bill Seeks To Stop It.</a>

Sen. John Cornyn

FBI Assisting Texas In Hunt For ‘Runaway’ Democrats, GOP Senator Says

FBI Assisting Texas In Hunt For 'Runaway' Democrats, GOP Senator Says

Congress

John Cornyn

kash patel

Redistricting

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation Wednesday into a group led by Democrat Beto O’Rourke that is bankrolling dozens of Democrats who fled the Lone Star State to block a vote on new congressional maps.
Paxton said that O’Rourke’s group, Powered by People, might have violated laws on bribery, campaign finance, and abuse of office. Powered by People is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourkes-pac-bankrolls-texas-democrats-escape-from-redistricting-standoff?author=Sam+Korkus&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Beto+O%E2%80%99Rourke%E2%80%99s+PAC+Bankrolls+Texas+Democrats%E2%80%99+Escape+from+Redistricting+Standoff">funding</a> a group of 50 state Democrats who are each facing a $500 daily fine after fleeing to Illinois, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourkes-pac-bankrolls-texas-democrats-escape-from-redistricting-standoff?author=Sam+Korkus&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Beto+O%E2%80%99Rourke%E2%80%99s+PAC+Bankrolls+Texas+Democrats%E2%80%99+Escape+from+Redistricting+Standoff">reported</a>.
“Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable,” Paxton said. “Texas cannot be bought. I look forward to thoroughly reviewing all of the documents and communications obtained throughout this investigation. These jet-setting runaways have already lost public trust by abandoning our state, and Texans deserve to know if they received illegal bribes to do it.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: I just launched an investigation into Beto O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s radical group for unlawfully funding runaway Democrats.
Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable. <a href="https://t.co/PV2IdwNOBd">pic.twitter.com/PV2IdwNOBd</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1953188955807273440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;
O’Rourke — who ran failed presidential, senatorial, and gubernatorial campaigns — shot back at Paxton’s investigation, <a href="https://x.com/BetoORourke/status/1953228139271995756">writing</a> on X, “The guy impeached for bribery is going after the folks trying to stop the theft of five Congressional seats.”
Paxton was impeached by the Texas state House in 2023 on bribery charges, but he was later acquitted by the state Senate. The Texas attorney general is now challenging incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn in the 2026 U.S. Senate race.
Powered by People <a href="https://poweredxpeople.org/what-we-do/">focuses</a> on organizing volunteers to help Democrats win elections in “competitive Texas battleground districts.” The leftist group says it is also “focused on creating long-term changes to the Texas electorate that will outlast any one candidate or campaign cycle.”
Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows set a Friday deadline for the Democrats to return to the legislature, but the 50 representatives are hoping to keep their stunt going and are pleading for donations as they remain in Illinois, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-democrats-walkout-trump-payments-59966a83df7cbaa43ee7e410eed2fc08">reported</a>. The House Democratic Caucus set up a website for donations of up to $2,500.
“We’re getting a lot of small-dollar donations, and that’s going to be used to help keep this thing going,” said Democrat House Caucus Chair Gene Wu.
“We’ve already been inundated with donations from across the state of Texas, from across the country, just regular people donating $5, $10, $15,” Democratic state Rep. James Talarico said. “And that’s appropriate, because this fight is for the people and it should be funded by the people. We don’t have billionaires who are funding this operation.”
Earlier this week, Paxton <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-ag-asks-judge-to-officially-remove-awol-dems-from-seats">said</a> he would seek judicial orders to remove the AWOL Democrats from office over their “refusal to perform legislative duties.” Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has also pushed to remove Wu from office over the state representative’s refusal to show up for the redistricting vote and reach quorum.
Sen. Cornyn has also asked the FBI to help round up the Democrats and bring them back to the state. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the bureau “may have to” get involved.

Beto O’Rourke

Beto O’Rourke-Led Group Under Investigation Over Potential Bribes To Help Runaway Texas Dems

General

Illinois

Investigation

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) says that he will &#8220;seek judicial orders&#8221; stating that the state legislators who fled to Illinois — to stall a Republican-led effort to redraw the state&#8217;s congressional districts — had &#8220;vacated&#8221; their offices.
Paxton shared a copy of a Tuesday <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-will-seek-judicial-orders-declaring-runaway-democrats-who-abandon-their" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> from his office on X, adding, &#8220;The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING: I will seek judicial orders declaring that runaway Democrats who fail to appear by the Speaker’s deadline have vacated their office.
The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired. <a href="https://t.co/yyPWavY38P">pic.twitter.com/yyPWavY38P</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1952800500207776234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Paxton&#8217;s release argued that by breaking quorum and thus refusing to perform the duties they were elected to perform, the Democrats who left the state had effectively abandoned their offices — and his intent was to seek judicial relief on the matter should they not return.
&#8220;Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that the continued refusal to perform legislative duties by Texas House Democrats who broke quorum constitutes abandonment of office and that he will pursue a court ruling ensuring that their seats are declared vacant,&#8221; the release read.
Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows, according to the release, gave the rogue legislators until the end of the week — Friday, August 8 — to return and do their jobs. &#8220;Any lawmaker who has not been arrested and returned or fails to appear by the Speaker’s deadline will be subject to aggressive legal action by Attorney General Paxton.&#8221;
&#8220;Democrats have abandoned their offices by fleeing Texas, and a failure to respond to a call of the House constitutes a dereliction of their duty as elected officials,&#8221; Paxton explained. &#8220;Starting Friday, any rogue lawmakers refusing to return to the House will be held accountable for vacating their office. The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired.&#8221;
The rogue Texas Democrats <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-dems-cant-win-redistricting-fight-so-they-bravely-turn-tail-and-flee-the-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke quorum</a> to stall the redistricting process because they did not have the votes to block it through legitimate means. They attempted a similar stunt in 2021 in protest against a Republican-backed election bill.

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Expedited Challenges Over Texas Abortion Ban

Texas AG Asks Judge To Officially Remove AWOL Dems From Seats

Texas AG Will Seek Judicial Ruling Vacating Seats Of Dems Who Went AWOL

JB Pritzker

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton moved on Monday to make a New York official comply with his efforts to crack down on the illegal shipping of abortion pills into the Lone Star State.
Paxton <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-takes-legal-action-against-new-york-county-clerk-stopping-radical">filed</a> a legal petition against Acting County Clerk for Ulster County Taylor Bruck for not allowing him to enforce a legal judgement against a New York-based abortionist accused of sending pills into Texas in violation of state law. Earlier this year, the abortionist, Margaret Carpenter, was <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Carpenter%20Final%20Judgment%20Signed.pdf">handed</a> down a $100,000 penalty by a Texas judge for violating the law, but local New York officials have so far blocked the collection of the fine.
“Dr. Carpenter is a radical abortionist who must face justice, not get legal protection from New York liberals intent on ending the lives of as many unborn children as they can,” Paxton said. “No matter where they reside, pro-abortion extremists who send drugs designed to kill the unborn into Texas will face the full force of our state’s pro-life laws.”
Paxton is seeking a writ of mandamus against Bruck to force him to comply with the collection of the penalty and the suit against Carpenter.
New York has implemented a “shield law” to protect abortionists from being prosecuted by out-of-state authorities.
“While pending litigation limits what I can share, I want to make clear that it is an honor to serve Ulster County in this role, and I am especially grateful to do so at such a critical moment for our county, our state, and the protection of fundamental rights under New York law,” Bruck <a href="https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/ken-paxton-taylor-bruck-legal-action-abortion-20789661.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com">told</a> the Times Union.
The case first began in December 2024 when Paxton sued Carpenter for allegedly sending abortion drugs to a Collin County woman that landed her in the hospital and ended the life of her unborn son. In February, a Collin County judge found that Carpenter had violated Texas law after she failed to appear in court to defend herself. The judge also handed down a $100,000 penalty.
Carpenter has also been indicted in Louisiana on charges of criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs. Carpenter is accused of mailing abortion drugs to a woman in Louisiana who then pressured her underage daughter into taking them and ending the life of her unborn child.

Trump Signs Executive Order Intending To Abolish Education Department

Ken Paxton Challenges New York Official Claiming ‘Shield Law’ Protects Mail-Order Abortion

Abortion

Crime

New York

U.S.

A Texas program offering in-state tuition to illegal immigrants ended Wednesday after the Trump administration sued the state saying that the initiative violated federal law. 
The suit from the Justice Department challenged Texas law that allowed illegal immigrants to be eligible for in-state tuition while denying the same opportunities for American citizens. The challenge was resolved the same day after a federal judge approved a joint motion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Justice Department to rule the law unconstitutional.
“Today, I entered a joint motion along with the Trump Administration opposing a law that unconstitutionally and unlawfully gave benefits to illegal aliens that were not available to American citizens,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas.”
The <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Joint%20Motion%20for%20Entry%20of%20Consent%20Judgment.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joint motion</a> asked the judge to rule that the tuition provision of Texas law applying to illegal immigrants violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and issue a permanent injunction blocking application of the law.
“In direct and express conflict with federal law, Texas education law specifically allows an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States to qualify for in-state tuition based on residence within the state, while explicitly denying resident-based tuition rates to U.S. citizens that do not qualify as Texas residents,” Paxton and the DOJ wrote in their motion.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/In%20State%20Tuition%20Final%20Judgment.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed off</a> on the motion just hours after it was filed, granting a permanent injunction against the provision.
“In-state tuition for illegal immigrants in Texas has ended,” Governor Greg Abbott said. “Texas is permanently enjoined from providing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.”
The provision giving illegal immigrants access to in-state tuition was <a href="https://lrl.texas.gov/legis/billsearch/actions.cfm?legSession=77-0&amp;billtypeDetail=HB&amp;billNumberDetail=1403&amp;billSuffixDetail=">first passed</a> back in 2001 and signed by then-Governor Rick Perry.
In an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/protecting-american-communities-from-criminal-aliens/?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> signed in March, President Donald Trump instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to “identify and take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens.”

President Trump Swears In Steve Witkoff As Special Envoy

Texas Ends Benefit Program For Illegal Immigrants After Justice Department Suit

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

Education

Illegal Immigration

Pam Bondi

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he will challenge Senator John Cornyn in 2026, citing the Texas Republican’s frequent opposition to President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Paxton made the announcement during an appearance on Fox News&#8217; “The Ingraham Angle,&#8221; telling host Laura Ingraham that &#8220;it&#8217;s definitely time for a change in Texas.&#8221;
&#8220;We have a great U.S. Senator, Ted Cruz, and it&#8217;s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas, and also support Donald Trump in the areas he&#8217;s focused on, in a very significant way,&#8221; Paxton said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what I plan on doing.&#8221;
Paxton told Ingraham it was &#8220;hard to think of the things&#8221; Cornyn has &#8220;done good for Texas or for the country,&#8221; slamming the senator for &#8220;things like his gun restrictions, his lack of wanting to fund a border wall, and even opposing President Trump&#8217;s election in 2016 and in the most recent election.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s certainly many things to focus on that he has not done,&#8221; Paxton added, &#8220;and I think it&#8217;s time that somebody held him accountable for that.&#8221;
The attorney general also railed against Cornyn in a statement announcing his run, in which he pledged to “take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment.”
“John Cornyn has been in Washington for over two decades, and he has turned his back on President Trump and the America First Agenda time after time.”
“Texans deserve far better than a senator who thinks it’s ‘naive’ to build a border to protect our citizens,&#8221; Paxton said.
Paxton, who has served three terms as attorney general, has frequently criticized Cornyn. In a March interview with Punchbowl News, Paxton <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/senate/paxton-plots-to-take-on-cornyn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Cornyn for pushing gun control legislation and supporting American aid to Ukraine.
“I’m going to start calling him ‘Senator Ukraine,’ because he’s funding Ukraine more than he’s funding our border, and that’s a problem in Texas,” Paxton said.
Paxton has emerged as a leading voice on major issues, using his office to protect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-texas-ag-investigating-school-officials-who-said-theyd-break-the-law?row=0&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Tim+Rice&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Texas+AG+Launches+Probe+Into+Schools+Scheming+To+Get+Boys+Onto+Girl+Sports+Teams&amp;category=News">women&#8217;s sports,</a> defending Texas A&amp;M&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-texas-ag-to-defend-texas-am-over-decision-to-ban-campus-drag-shows?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Texas+AG+To+Defend+Texas+A%26M+Over+Decision+To+Ban+Campus+Drag+Shows&amp;category=News">decision</a> to ban a campus drag show, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-arrests-48-year-old-woman-for-performing-illegal-abortions-operating-fake-clinics?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;title=Texas+Arrests+48-Year-Old+Woman+For+Performing+Illegal+Abortions%2C+Operating+Fake+Clinics&amp;category=News">prosecuting</a> a woman who performed illegal abortions.
Cornyn, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-thune-elected-senate-majority-leader?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Tim+Pearce&amp;title=John+Thune+Elected+Senate+Majority+Leader&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost</a> the race to succeed Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader, is <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/12NQYwfF1_c06LvP2Imx-54dTMjXJxrI2sz7MujKphFg/edit?tab=t.0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serving</a> his fourth term in the upper chamber. A mainstay in Republican politics, he previously served as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and as Senate Majority Whip.
Senate Republican leaders have <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/06/politics/cornyn-texas-senate-primary/index.html">reportedly asked</a> Trump to endorse Cornyn to put a stop to what could be a costly and high-profile primary. Speaking to CNN&#8217;s Manu Raju, Cornyn demurred on the question of Trump&#8217;s endorsement, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/06/politics/video/sen-john-cornyn-gop-texas-primary-donald-trump-manu-raju-digvid">noting</a> that &#8220;his endorsement will be important&#8221; and saying Trump will &#8220;make an endorsement when he&#8217;s ready.&#8221; Cornyn also said that he and the president have &#8220;a very good relationship.&#8221;
But it&#8217;s unclear if Trump — who once <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/20/donald-trump-ken-paxton-attorney-general/">floated</a> the idea of tapping Paxton as U.S. Attorney General — would back Cornyn, whom the president <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4120760-trump-rips-weak-ineffective-cornyn-romney/">once called</a> &#8220;weak [and] ineffective.&#8221;
A recent poll found that Paxton leads Cornyn by 20 points, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/us/politics/paxton-cornyn-senate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this month.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Will Challenge Senator John Cornyn

Senate

A federal judge on Monday ruled that the University of Texas A&amp;M cannot ban drag performances on its campuses following a lawsuit from an LGBT activist group.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal said that the decision from the university&#8217;s board of regents likely violated the First Amendment and blocked the ban while the case played out in court. The Texas A&amp;M Board of Regents was sued earlier this month by the Queer Empowerment Council which claimed the ban on drag performances in university spaces was unconstitutional.
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&#8220;The Board, and some members of the A&amp;M community, are offended by the Draggieland performance. To ban the performance from taking place on campus because it offends some members of the campus community is precisely what the First Amendment prohibits,&#8221; Rosenthal <a href="https://www.thefire.org/sites/default/files/2025/03/Opinion%20-%20Texas%20A%26M%20Queer%20Empowerment%20Council%20v.%20Mahomes%2C%20et%20al..pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
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As part of its justification for the prohibition, the board <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-texas-ag-to-defend-texas-am-over-decision-to-ban-campus-drag-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointed</a> to an executive order from President Donald Trump that directs federal funding to be cut from entities that promote gender ideology and a directive from Governor Greg Abbott to comply with the order.
The board said that “both the System and the Universities receive significant federal funding, the use of facilities at the Universities for Drag Show Events may be considered promotion of gender ideology in violation of the Executive Order and the Governor’s directive.”
Rosenthal said she was unconvinced by this argument.
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&#8220;The Board has failed to show that permitting drag shows to occur at Special Event Venues would cause the harassment of female students, much less the type of severe and pervasive harassment that violates Title IX,&#8221; the judge wrote. &#8220;Nor does the Board point to evidence in the record showing that President Trump’s executive order regarding &#8216;biological truth&#8217; specifically refers or applies to drag shows, or that the Draggieland message denies the existence of the male and female sexes.&#8221;
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is representing the board of regents, said that taxpayer-funded schools have no obligation to host drag shows.
“Our colleges and universities exist to help students learn and equip them as they take their next steps in life,” Paxton told The Daily Wire earlier this month. “They are not, and have never been, a place for taxpayer-funded drag shows where men pretending to be women engage in obscene, offensive, and degrading behavior.”
The judge&#8217;s ruling will mean that the university will be forced to host a drag festival called  “Draggieland&#8221; on March 27.
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Protest over the cancellation of Draggieland and other drag shows on Texas A&M campus

Federal Judge Says Texas A&M Has To Host Drag Show Festival

Drag show

LGBT

Texas A&amp;M

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday that a 48-year-old Houston woman had been arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions. 
Paxton <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-announces-arrest-houston-area-abortionist-and-crackdown-clinics">said</a> that Maria Margarita Rojas was providing illegal abortions in the Northwest Houston area and was operating a network of illegal clinics. Rojas was charged with one count of performing an illegal abortion and practicing medicine without a license. 
“In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted,” Paxton said. “Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable.”
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In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted. 
Texas law protecting… <a href="https://t.co/xZ7QHpxbPn">pic.twitter.com/xZ7QHpxbPn</a>
&mdash; Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1901705532165280078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Paxton said that an investigation from his Law Enforcement Division found that Rojas operated multiple clinics in the Houston area including Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring. These clinics were allegedly operated by individuals who pretended to be medical professionals without licenses. 
According to Paxton, Rojas performed illegal abortions at these clinics in violation of Texas’ Human Life Protection Act. Paxton said the case was referred to him by Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore. 
Rojas could face a penalty of at least $100,000 if found guilty of performing an illegal abortion. 
Paxton’s actions were praised by pro-life groups, like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
“Abortion activists’ reckless, criminal disregard for women’s lives and unborn life is on full display,” <a href="https://sbaprolife.org/newsroom/press-releases/ag-paxton-arrests-illegal-abortionist-takes-strong-action-to-protect-texas-mothers-babies">said</a> SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser. &#8220;We thank Attorney General Paxton for his strong leadership to put a stop to this brutality, including taking on sellers of dangerous abortion drugs across state lines, and hope others will follow his example.”
Paxton previously <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-stops-radical-abortionist-unlawfully-supplying-dangerous-drugs-kill#:~:text=Attorney%20General%20Ken%20Paxton%20has,in%20violation%20of%20state%20law.">secured</a> a $100,000 penalty and permanent injunction against a New York abortionist he had sued for allegedly sending abortion pills into Texas in violation of state law.

Texas Arrests 48-Year-Old Woman For Performing Illegal Abortions, Operating Fake Clinics

Houston

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will defend Texas A&amp;M in court after it was sued over a decision to ban drag performances on its campuses, The Daily Wire learned Friday. 
The Board of Regents for Texas A&amp;M was sued earlier this month by a student group called the Queer Empowerment Council, which alleged that the board&#8217;s February decision to no longer sanction drag shows on campus is a violation of the First Amendment. Paxton said Friday that the publicly-funded university system had no obligation to host “obscene” drag shows, and that he would be representing the board. 
“Our colleges and universities exist to help students learn and equip them as they take their next steps in life,&#8221; Paxton told The Daily Wire. &#8220;They are not, and have never been, a place for taxpayer-funded drag shows where men pretending to be women engage in obscene, offensive, and degrading behavior.&#8221;
“Texans’ tax dollars should not fund or be used for vulgar assaults on our values, which is why I’m defending the Board’s ban on these shows against frivolous lawsuits launched by left-wing radicals,” he added. 
In a February 28 <a href="https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/487e01de1b7579fc428d19d2ee25ecf9/Item%201%20BOR%20Resolution%20re%20Campus%20Events.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolution</a>, the board said that it found that drag shows were “inconsistent” with the mission of the university system as they “involve sexualized, vulgar or lewd conduct” and “involve conduct that demeans women.”
The board said that it believed that drag shows created a hostile environment for women in violation of Title IX in university public spaces. 
The resolution also cited an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-sign-executive-order-defining-sex-as-male-and-female" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> from President Donald Trump that directs federal funding to be cut from entities that promote gender ideology and a letter from Governor Greg Abbott directing state agencies to comply with the executive order. 
The board wrote that “both the System and the Universities receive significant federal funding, the use of facilities at the Universities for Drag Show Events may be considered promotion of gender ideology in violation of the Executive Order and the Governor’s directive.”
In response to the decision, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression <a href="https://www.thefire.org/news/lawsuit-lgbtq-student-group-sues-overturn-texas-ams-unconstitutional-drag-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> a federal lawsuit on behalf of the student-led Queer Empower Group. That group alleged that the board was violating the First Amendment by engaging in viewpoint discrimination.
The group was particularly upset that a drag festival called “Draggieland,” will no longer be allowed to be hosted at a campus venue.

EXCLUSIVE: Texas AG To Defend Texas A&M Over Decision To Ban Campus Drag Shows

Drag Queens

Texas Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ken-paxton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ken Paxton</a> has filed a lawsuit against a New York abortionist, accusing her of unlawfully mailing abortion drugs to a woman in Texas.
Those abortion drugs landed the mother in the emergency room after causing her to hemorrhage, the filing says — and they ended the life of her unborn child. Paxton is asking the court to fine the abortionist $100,000 for each violation of the law, including practicing without a license, and mailing abortion drugs.
“In this case, an out-of-state doctor violated the law and caused serious harm to this patient,&#8221; Paxton said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. &#8220;This doctor prescribed abortion-inducing drugs—unauthorized, over telemedicine—causing her patient to end up in the hospital with serious complications.&#8221;
&#8220;In Texas, we treasure the health and lives of mothers and babies, and this is why out-of-state doctors may not illegally and dangerously prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents,” he added.
The lawsuit targets abortionist Margaret Daley Carpenter, who is not a licensed Texas physician and is not authorized to practice telemedicine in Texas, where abortions of unborn babies are prohibited under almost all circumstances, except if the life or health of the mother is at risk. The law also prohibits physicians or medical suppliers from sending abortion drugs into the state.
&#8220;Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter (Carpenter) of New York violates Texas law by providing abortion-inducing drugs to Texans through telehealth,&#8221; the filing states. &#8220;Carpenter is not a licensed Texas physician, nor is she authorized to practice telemedicine in the State of Texas. The Court should enjoin Carpenter from continuing to operate outside the bounds of the law and impose civil penalties for her violation of Texas law.&#8221;
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Carpenter is the co-medical director and founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine (ACT), an organization promoting abortion drugs. Her biography notes that she has been aborting babies both surgically and medically since 1999.
&#8220;About mid-May 2024, a 20-year-old female resident of Collin County, Texas became pregnant,&#8221; the filing states. &#8220;The mother of the unborn child did not communicate her pregnancy to the biological father of the unborn child. The mother did not have any life threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from the pregnancy that placed her at risk of death or any serious risk of substantial impairment.&#8221;
&#8220;The mother proceeded to utilize telemedicine or telehealth services and received, through Carpenter, two abortion-inducing drugs or prescriptions,&#8221; the complaint continues. &#8220;The first was a box for the drug mifepristone, 200 mg, followed by the &#8216;#1&#8217; and the directions to take 1 tablet by mouth and to &#8216;take this medication first.&#8217; The second was a pill bottle of misoprostol 200 mcg with directions to take 4 tablets (i.e., 800 mcg.) after the mifepristone.&#8221;
The FDA&#8217;s approved mifepristone doses are 200 mg of mifepristone by mouth, then 800 mcg taken in the cheek pouch 24 to 48 hours after that, and follow up with a health care provider about seven to 14 days later.
The mother asked her child&#8217;s father to take her to the hospital because of severe bleeding on July 16, 2024, the suit says. The father only learned that she had been pregnant at the hospital: &#8220;After the mother was seen by health care professionals at a hospital in Collin County, Texas, the biological father of the unborn child was told that the mother of the unborn child was experiencing a hemorrhage or severe bleeding as she &#8216;had been&#8217; nine weeks pregnant before losing the child.&#8221;
He concluded that the child&#8217;s mother had purposefully hid her pregnancy from him, &#8220;and he further suspected that the biological mother had in fact done something to contribute to the miscarriage or abortion of the unborn child.&#8221; He discovered the abortion drugs when they returned home.
&#8220;Carpenter’s conduct violates the Texas Health and Safety Code’s prohibition on prescribing abortion-inducing drugs via telemedicine,&#8221; the complaint states. &#8220;Carpenter’s knowing and continuing violations of Texas law places women and unborn children in Texas at risk. Carpenter sees Texas patients via telehealth and prescribes them abortion inducing medication.&#8221;
New York <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/articles/2023/shelley-b-mayer/new-york-times-new-york-passes-bill-shield-abortion">previously passed legislation</a> that is intended to provide legal protection for doctors to send abortion pills out of state. So this new lawsuit is the first attempt at challenging the state laws against one another.
SBSA Pro-Life America&#8217;s director of legal affairs, Katie Daniel, celebrated the lawsuit in a statement that condemned New York&#8217;s law, urging other pro-life leaders to follow Paxton&#8217;s example.
“For the mail-order abortion industry that sells high-risk drugs without any in-person doctor visit, life is cheap and ‘DIY’ abortion highly profitable,&#8221; she argued. &#8220;Thanks to extreme blue-state politicians who shield them, abortionists in states like New York openly violate the protective laws of pro-life states, killing unborn children and sending women to the emergency room in dire condition – all while sitting comfortably thousands of miles away.&#8221;

Ken Paxton Sues NY Abortionist For Unlawfully Mailing Abortion Drugs To Texas

Eleven Republican attorneys general sued <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blackrock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BlackRock</a> on Wednesday, alleging it had engaged in a conspiracy with other massive asset managers to constrict the market for coal.
Led by Texas, the attorneys general filed a <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/States%20v%20BlackRock%20Complaint%20Filed.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suit</a> on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas alleging that BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street have worked together to push climate policies in order to artificially restrict the supply of coal. The states say that the financial giants, which <a href="https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2024-11-27/blackrock-state-street-vanguard-sued-by-republican-states-over-climate-accords" target="_blank" rel="noopener">control</a> around $26 trillion, have violated federal and state antitrust laws.
“Texas will not tolerate the illegal weaponization of the financial industry in service of a destructive, politicized ‘environmental’ agenda. BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street formed a cartel to rig the coal market, artificially reduce the energy supply, and raise prices,” <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-blackrock-state-street-and-vanguard-illegally-conspiring-manipulate">said</a> Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “Their conspiracy has harmed American energy production and hurt consumers. This is a stunning violation of State and federal law.”
The suit was joined by Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Wyoming. They argue that the asset managers have weaponized their holdings in coal companies to restrict the industry and raise prices.
“Defendants have leveraged their holdings and voting of shares to facilitate an output reduction scheme, which has artificially constrained the supply of coal, significantly diminished competition in the markets for coal, increased energy prices for American consumers, and produced cartel-level profits for Defendants,” the suit says.
“Competitive markets — not the dictates of far-flung asset managers — should determine the price Americans pay for electricity,” the Republican AGs added, saying that the companies pursued environmental, social, and governance policies that harmed investors&#8217; bottom line.
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Both State Street and BlackRock responded to the lawsuit by saying it was without merit.
&#8220;State Street acts in the long-term financial interests of investors with a focus on enhancing shareholder value. As long-term capital providers, we have a mutual interest in the long-term success of our portfolio companies. T​his lawsuit is baseless and look forward to presenting the facts through the legal process,&#8221; State Street said.
“BlackRock&#8217;s holdings in energy companies are regularly reviewed by federal and state regulators. We make these investments on behalf of our clients, and our focus is on delivering them financial returns,” the company told The Daily Wire.
“The suggestion that BlackRock has invested money in companies with the goal of harming those companies is baseless and defies common sense. This lawsuit undermines Texas&#8217; pro-business reputation and discourages investments in the companies consumers rely on,” it added.
BlackRock has long faced criticism from conservatives who have argued that it prioritizes leftist activism over customer benefit. The asset manager has been involved in climate-focused groups like the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, and Ceres.

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