Nicolas Henderson via Flickr

A group of Texas State House Democrats who fled the state to try and block an election integrity bill are suing Governor Greg Abbott for seeking their return.
They are represented by a former congressman who lost re-election by a two-to-one margin after repeatedly refusing to show up and vote.

The Washington Examiner reports:

Texas Democrats contested the first session that began on July 8 over the “election integrity” item on the agenda. Dozens in the Democratic minority flew to Washington in a bid to stall the legislative agenda by preventing the chamber from reaching quorum, prompting the governor to threaten arraignment when they return from the extended protest.

Abbott ordered a second 30-day special legislative session Thursday in a new attempt to pass the GOP-backed voting legislation after more than 50 Democratic lawmakers fled the state.

The lawsuit alleges the three defendants sought “by public statements and otherwise, to attempt to deny, coerce, threaten, intimidate, and prevent” the Democratic lawmakers and their constituents their right to “vote in all elections,” “peacefully assemble to redress their grievances,” “speak publicly about the exercise of their constitutional rights,” “of association,” “security of person,” and “freedom from arrest, except upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation.”

The Democrats are suing even though they voted for House rules allowing their arrest for intentionally missing votes.

They are represented by Houston attorney Craig Washington, a former Texas state legislator who briefly served in Congress until losing a 1994 Democrat primary to then-Houston Councilwoman Sheila Jackson Lee by nearly a two-to-one margin.

Ironically, Washington was defeated after repeatedly refusing to show up to vote, claiming the votes “weren’t important.”

Washington went into law practice after initially wanting to be a dentist, but deciding against medical school after it took him eight years to earn a bachelor’s degree.  “I thought the mandatory attendance was stupid,” Washington told the Houston Chronicle in 2005.

Washington also reportedly missed numerous votes in his time in the Texas Legislature and was named by Texas Monthly magazine as one of the state’s worst legislators.

“He skipped sessions, got thrown out of meetings, lobbed accusations of racism at one colleague, came close to blows with another and hoisted a third by the lapels during an argument,” the Chronicle reported.

It appears Washington is representing the Democrat legislators on a probationary license. Texas State Bar records show Washington has been publicly reprimanded three times and had his license suspended three times, for various violations.

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AmericanActionNews.com



Michael Brigham has written for American Action News since the summer of 2019. His areas of expertise include foreign affairs, government, and politics, but regardless of the subject matter, he has a nose and an insatiable appetite for news. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction, watching a mix of comedies and true crime documentaries, and spending time away from the swamp hiking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

Comments

    1. My neighbor’s aunt makes 62 every hour on the internet..iif she has been without work for eight months but the previous month her revenue was 19022 only working on the laptop 5 hours a day.. check this …… 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐮𝐳𝐳𝟏.𝐜𝐨𝐦

  1. they aren’t showing up for work. their constituents should fire them and nominate replacements to finish their term.

  2. The communist democrats know that the indoctrinated liberals will vote for them just because – By golly my grandpa voted for democrats, so by golly I’m voting for democrats. They have no clue that if grandpa was alive today, he would never vote for a democrat ever again. These modern globalist democrats are not your grandpas democrat party. That party no longer exist!

  3. ansd so….these Texas”liberal Democrats” somehow believe they should be PAID by the Citizen TaxPayers of Texas FOR NOT COMING TO WORK….what the hell is wrong with these people?

  4. They want to be arrested. They are predominantly rich, white elitists pretending to be black 1960s civil rights activists. They chant “we shall overcome.” Overcome what? – private jets, luxury hotels, expensive restaurants, and other privileges! They are the worst hypocrites and sowers of inequity!

  5. STOP Fascist

    Impeached joKe bidet for election fraud all counting machines were indeed connected to the internet and breached oath of office. 

    Election 2020 null and void .

    Desertify electoral college votes

    ….Can’t certify fraud…

    Frankspeech

    com

    now

  6. governor doesn’t need to go to court. He needs to send the texas rangers after each one of those corrupt dems back home then disbar/impoeach/jail for taking monies for not doing thier jobs. I can think of alot of other reasons too…

  7. In the private sector where people have to show up and WORK for a living, you default and play hooky and you are GONE without a paycheck. It is just as simple as that. SO these DumbRats figured they could play infantile games of blackmail and abandon their duties and still have ‘business as usual?’

  8. Withhold all pay and benefits, for lack of attendance and fulfilling their State Constitutional responsibilities as Representatives of their dually elected Districts.

  9. The cheap cop out trip to Washington, D.C. has become expensive indeed. These elitist condescending leftists do not represent their constituency and will be made to pay for their insolence unless a takeover of all the States Rights by the Executive Branch comes about. God knows Biden has tried to supercede States Soverignty time and again.

  10. the texas democrats have the same issues as the folks who went to dc in jan. wanted to protest. they should be treated the same way. throw them in jail. no one is above the law, isn’t that the democrat way. the issue is still election integrity, which by running away the democrat gave the impression of being guilty of.

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