Republican officials in Travis County, Texas, are criticizing the Democrats who left the state and traveled to Washington, D.C., to avoid casting their votes on an election integrity bill.
“Texas House Democrats engaged in performance theater for weeks claiming Gov. [Greg] Abbott [R-TX] was putting lives at risk by reopening the state economy and waiving the statewide mask mandate,” Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak said, Fox News reported Saturday.
“Then they flew to DC on a private jet stocked with Miller Lite without masks, in violation of FAA rules, and now this farce turned into a super spreader event,” he added.
Mackowiak also restated his comments on what appeared to be his Twitter page.
He was referring to the news Saturday that three of the Democrats who left Austin, Texas, had tested positive for the coronavirus, despite being fully vaccinated, as Breitbart News reported.
“Dozens of Texas Democrats fled the state on Monday as part of their effort to deny House Republicans a quorum to pass any bills, particularly on issues surrounding election integrity,” the outlet said.
Texas state Rep. Trey Fischer (D) claimed he and his colleagues chartered the flight to D.C. because “everybody” wanted to see them together.
Meanwhile, some argued the Democrats are using the coronavirus as a political trick.
“I say prove it,” Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain (R) told Fox News. “I think it’s an excuse to avoid coming back. They want a reason to do a 14-day quarantine; they don’t want to come back and do their jobs. If they really have it, prove it.”
Abbott responded Monday to the Texas Democrats fleeing to D.C. and said the legislators “will be arrested” upon their return.
“As soon as they come back in the state of Texas, they will be arrested, they will be cabined inside the Texas Capitol until they get their job done,” Abbott said.