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Texas Senator Says Trump’s FBI Agreed to Help Track Down and Return Runaway Democrats
Mediaite ^ | August 7,2025 | Alex Griffing

Posted on 08/07/2025 8:33:54 AM PDT by Miami Rebel

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Texas’s senior senator up for reelection in 2026, announced on Thursday that FBI Director Kash Patel agreed to his request for federal agents to help Texas law enforcement track down and return runaway Democratic lawmakers.

Cornyn wrote a letter on Tuesday urging Patel to help return some 50 state lawmakers who fled the state to try and delay a state House vote on a new congressional map. Democrats are trying to delay the vote by not allowing the GOP-controlled body to have a quorum — a minimum number of members present in order to conduct official business.

Cornyn’s request came a day after the Texas House of Representatives voted to compel the lawmakers to return to the body in order to vote on the highly controversial redistricting effort to try and net the national Republican Party 5 more seats in Congress. Cornyn’s letter accused the absent Democrats of possible criminal acts, without citing any evidence, saying “they may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses.”

The state House officially empowered Texas state troopers and the House’s sergeant-at-arms to track down the members and arrest them, but they would not face any kind of charges under the order. The Texas arrest warrants are also only valid inside Texas’s border – making them purely symbolic and the FBI’s role in enforcing them unclear.

“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,” Cornyn said in a statement. “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.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) hit back at the idea of federal agents coming into his state to detain the Democratic lawmakers who fled there. Pritzker told Jessica Yellin on her News Not Noise podcast on Wednesday, saying, “The fact is that you know our local law enforcement protect everybody in Illinois. Our state troopers protect everybody in Illinois and anybody who’s here in Illinois.” He added that “if you haven’t broken federal law” and are in his state, “there’s no way” you can be arrested by the FBI.

INBOX: Sen. @JohnCornyn says the FBI has granted his request for federal authorities to assist Texas law enforcement in locating Texas House Democrats who fled the state over the Republican redistricting plan. pic.twitter.com/Fv32rKXkBj

— Reena Jade Diamante (@reenajade) August 7, 2025


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: cornhole; democrats; patel; texas

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To: Mashood

The issue isn’t decorum. It’s jurisdiction.


21 posted on 08/07/2025 9:06:40 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
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To: Miami Rebel

Trump’s FBI?

These people really think it’s a private police force

Do all the ‘Biden FBI gymuys’ automatically quit when a new president comes in? Em. No.


22 posted on 08/07/2025 9:06:48 AM PDT by stanne (Because they were mesmerized by Obama, the man for whom this was named, whose name they left out of )
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To: Miami Rebel

Well, who does have the authority to get you back to your home country when you flee? The only way I’m aware of to extradite people from one US member state to another is to get the Fed’s involved, since law enforcement from one state do not have authority in other states.


23 posted on 08/07/2025 9:07:11 AM PDT by cuban leaf (2024 is going to be one for the history books, like 1939. And 2025 will be more so, like 1940-1945.)
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To: dvan

“ And bringing them back how effective with that be? Are they expected to vote to approve the redistricting?”

Just reduce the number needed for a quorum by the percentage of available pols.


24 posted on 08/07/2025 9:11:48 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (TDS much?)
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To: cuban leaf

Federal courts can compel extradition, but I think they’d look at this matter as too political to consider.

But it makes no difference. None of the legislators have been accused of a crime* and there has been no extradition request.

* They are being accused of a violation of legislative procedure, not of a crime.


25 posted on 08/07/2025 9:13:42 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
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To: Miami Rebel

Typical liberal goal post moving. The question is can a federal agent assist in state criminal issues.

The answer is yes.

The limits are that they would still have to follow extradition processes UNLESS it was also a federal crime they are accused of. The fed can absolutely arrest someone and hold them for 24 hours maximum in most cases. They would need to follow appropriate extradition procedures for nonfederal crimes.

A state can refuse to extradite if they chose as long as it is a state crime only and there is no reciprocal agreement. This still does not prevent a fed from arresting and detaining for 24 hours for the purpose of pursing court proceedings on extradition.

You’re the one jerking around attacking anyone who tries to provide some insight, I would guess because your ideology is more important than facts and these facts hurt your feelings.

Wing that lib


26 posted on 08/07/2025 9:15:42 AM PDT by Skwor
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To: Miami Rebel

The federal government should appoint federal examiners to determine the adverse affects of runaway hiding representatives on the district voters they “represent” per the Voting Rights Act of 1965.


27 posted on 08/07/2025 9:16:47 AM PDT by Mashood
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To: Miami Rebel

They are potentially being charged with taking bribes to flee the state responsibilities of the legislature, that is a crime, they made that a crime the last time the Dems did this in Texas

Do you even bother researching anything or just spout of baseless opinions?


28 posted on 08/07/2025 9:17:35 AM PDT by Skwor
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To: dvan

They don’t need the Dems vote to pass the legislation
Just need them to have a quorum for a vote


29 posted on 08/07/2025 9:19:03 AM PDT by RWGinger
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To: Skwor

“The question is can a federal agent assist in state criminal issues.”

Please name the crime, state or federal.

And given there’s been no extradition request, the idea that the federal government should interject itself in a political squabble is bizarre.


30 posted on 08/07/2025 9:19:37 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
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To: Miami Rebel
He added that “if you haven’t broken federal law” and are in his state, “there’s no way” you can be arrested by the FBI.

U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 4:

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government

I would argue that by refusing to perform their duty to convene, that the 2025 flee-baggers are interfering with Texas having a Republican form of government, and the FBI can enforce the federal guarantee.
31 posted on 08/07/2025 9:22:50 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: Miami Rebel

This is one federal law that could apply:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assimilative_Crimes_Act

However I agree with other posters that when someone violates state law and then flees the state that the FBI has the authority to pursue and detain them.

https://www.fbi.gov/about/faqs/if-an-individual-is-being-sought-by-local-police-for-committing-a-crime-what-assistance-can-the-fbi-render-to-locate-the-fugitive


32 posted on 08/07/2025 9:24:34 AM PDT by cgbg (It was not us. It was them--all along.)
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To: Miami Rebel

If you commit a murder in state A and flee to state B you have not committed the federal crime of murder. Your federal crime is being an interstate fugitive.


33 posted on 08/07/2025 9:26:41 AM PDT by central_va (The I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: Miami Rebel

AND again, I did not state an extradition request has been made, you do realize you cannot make such a request until someone is at least confirmed to be within your borders through some legally recognized means? More often that means within the state’s custody.

Unless you can actually start asking and talking with some sense I am not furthering anymore replies to your rants.


34 posted on 08/07/2025 9:26:53 AM PDT by Skwor
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To: for-q-clinton
It's a federal matter because one state (Illinois) is interfering with the legitimate operations of another state (Texas) with the consent and active involvement of its Governor (Pritzker).

The compacts clause and the "full faith and credit" clause were meant to control how states interact with each other, with Congressional oversight.

That's not what Illinois is doing to Texas. Illinois is supporting a dissident minority faction to obstruct the lawful government of another state.

-PJ

35 posted on 08/07/2025 9:27:00 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
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To: Dr. Sivana

And.....the FBI is doing this without court order? The only grounds have been political requests by the Texas legislature, the Texas governor, and a Texas senator, NOT by a Texas court.

Unrestrained federal police power is something which no one, MAGA, RINO, or libertarian, should want.


36 posted on 08/07/2025 9:27:46 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
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To: Miami Rebel
Your reasoning is very flawed. By your illogic if a person commits a state crime then all they have to do is go to another state and they are free!!!
37 posted on 08/07/2025 9:29:34 AM PDT by central_va (The I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: Miami Rebel

“”Unrestrained federal police power is something which no one, MAGA, RINO, or libertarian, should want.””

You mean.... “unrestrained federal police power”... like that would be involved in maybe... a federal raid on a former and future president’s residence, looking for documents to cover the political @sses of the party in power at the time? Like that?


38 posted on 08/07/2025 9:30:18 AM PDT by Danie_2023
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To: Political Junkie Too

“It’s a federal matter because one state (Illinois) is interfering with the legitimate operations of another state (Texas) with the consent and active involvement of its Governor (Pritzker).”

Interference in anther state’s “legitimate operations” is a pretty loosey-goosy claim. If the Texas legislature thinks that the Democrats’ flight is a crime, let them make that claim in a Texas court.


39 posted on 08/07/2025 9:30:22 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
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To: Danie_2023

You think that your argument STRENGTHENS the validity of Cornyn’s request?


40 posted on 08/07/2025 9:31:19 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
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