Senator says FBI director agreed to assist in finding Texas Democrats who left for Illinois

CHICAGO (WLS) -- U.S. Sen. John Cornyn says FBI Director Kash Patel has approved a request for the FBI to assist Texas law enforcement in locating Texas House Democrats, many of whom came to Illinois.

The state legislators left Texas to prevent a quorum and halt the process for redistricting congressional districts.

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"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," Sen. Cornyn said. "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."

More than 50 members of the Texas House Democrats have been staying in Illinois. On Wednesday, there was a bomb threat at the hotel in St. Charles where they were staying.

Democrats left the state to prevent a quorum in the Texas House and stall any vote, and the Texas governor is now trying to vacate the seat of the head of the Democratic caucus, which Democrats claim he has no authority to do.

They are concerned about the effort to bring in the FBI, which they call a shameful push by Republicans.

"To now bring the FBI in to hunt down Democratic elected officials from Texas because we're using a constitutional right we have to break quorum, it's disgusting," said state Rep. John Bucy, a Democrat from Austin.

Bucy got served with a civil warrant by the Texas House Republican leadership during a quorum break in 2021. A similar one has been issued this time.

But it only is enforceable in the state of Texas. Now Republicans want to expand that authority to Illinois and other states to compel Democrats to return.

"This threat of trying to haul members in through the power of the federal government, the Trump administration, is not like anything that's ever been suggested or happened before. And so I think that's why people need to be anxious and nervous at this time," said state Rep. Ann Johnson, a Democrat from Houston.

Abbott is also calling for absent Democrats to be arrested and returned to Texas.

"It's not at all clear that they have the authority to do something like that when we're talking about a civil warrant, really akin to a contempt violation from a different state," ABC7 Chicago chief legal analyst Gil Soffer said.

That may explain why in Cornyn's letter he specifically noted, "I am concerned that legislators who solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses."

"That would make it easier for the FBI to get involved," Soffer said.

Gov. JB Pritzker dismissed all the FBI talk as grandstanding.

"The reality is that all that he has said, Cornyn, is that the FBI has been authorized to locate the Texas House Democrats, nothing more," Pritzker said.

So, for now, Texas Democrats can only wait and see what happens next. Any FBI involvement in criminal warrants would likely have to go through the courts.