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Top House Democrats have announced an investigation and are demanding answers from AG Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel about the legality of using federal resources to hunt down Texas state Democratic lawmakers.
House Judiciary Democrats announced the investigation in a statement:
Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on the Judiciary, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Rep. Greg Casar, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Vice Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, demanded answers from U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Kash Patel regarding the reported use of federal law enforcement resources for purely political purposes. The lawmakers sent a letter to Bondi and Patel following reports that the FBI had agreed to assist Texas Republicans in finding Texas state legislators who left the state to block Republican efforts to gerrymander the state’s Congressional districts ahead of next year’s mid-term elections.
The Members pressed the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI to clarify whether they are involved in these efforts. If they are, the Members demanded DOJ and FBI provide the legal basis and justification for these actions, as well as details about any use of federal taxpayer-funded resources, tools, and systems in this matter.
So far, Republicans have been very vague about what the FBI is doing, but the lawmakers want answers:
We write with great concern about the abuse of federal public safety resources for completely political purposes and without a law enforcement rationale that is reportedly taking place right now. We demand information about the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) involvement in efforts to locate or apprehend members of the Texas House of Representatives who are not accused of any federal crime but have chosen to break quorum during the current legislative session.
Senator John Cornyn has claimed that the FBI is assisting the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in identifying or locating Democratic state lawmakers who left the state to counter President Trump’s aggressive moves to consolidate power by redrawing Congressional district lines in Texas to prevent being investigated by a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.
These reports suggest that the FBI is diverting federal law enforcement away from fighting terrorism, drug trafficking, and other federal crimes to instead harass and target Texans’ duly elected representatives, and thus raise urgent questions about the legal basis, scale, and appropriateness of federal law enforcement involvement in a state-level political matter.
The Democrats brought up a great point. If Trump is diverting resources away from keeping the country safe, he is not only engaging in an abuse of power, but he is also endangering the American people.
The Texas House Democrats have not committed a crime. This is a state matter. There is no role for the FBI or any federal law enforcement in this situation.
It is not enough for Democrats to support the House Democrats with cheers or even resources. Democrats must also use whatever tools they have to fight back to keep the Texas Democrats safe.
The pressure on Republicans has to come from all levels, and top House Democrats have a critical role in holding the Trump administration accountable.
What do you think about the Democrats’ investigation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
