Trump says the FBI may arrest Texas Democrats over rezoning
President Trump has said the FBI “must do” the Texas Democrats who fled to block GOP’s rezoning plans.
WASHINGTON – Some Texas Democrats fled the state to block Republican rezoning efforts have evacuated from hotels in Illinois, where they remained in the threat of bombs.
Police said they responded to a “reporting potential bomb threats at the Q Center Hotel and Convention Complex” at 7:15am in St. Charles, a western Chicago suburb.
They said they conducted a “full search” with the Kane County Sheriff’s office bomb squad and found “no device.”
“In response to the threat, 400 people were evacuated immediately and the bomb squad unit conducted an investigation, so the area was secured,” the St. Charles Police Department wrote. “Following clearance from the authorities, all guests and staff have returned safely to the facility.”
“The threat of violence will be investigated and the person responsible will be held responsible,” wrote JB Pritzker, a Democratic government in Illinois.
Texas Rep. John Beussie III, one of the hotel’s Democrats, told USA Today in an August 6 interview that when the alarm was issued in the morning, many lawmakers were still asleep and the group had gathered outside. He said it took about two hours for everything to be cleared up and they were allowed to re-enter safely.
“I would like to thank Governor Pretzker, and I would like to thank the law enforcement and the hotel staff,” Beussie said. “They worked hard to make sure the place was safe… They show what real leadership looks like. It’s sad that (Government of Texas) Greg Abbott doesn’t have the same qualities as a leader.”
More than 50 Texan Democrats left the state on August 3rd, denying the quorum needed to advance rezoning efforts to Republicans. This effort could potentially give US House Republicans up to five more seats to Republicans in the middle of 2026.
Democrat state lawmakers spread across blue states, including Illinois, Massachusetts and New York. Republican Abbott filed an emergency petition on May 5th, sought to remove Texas Democratic House leaders from his position.
Contributors: Philip Bailey, Savannah Kucher, Tao Nuguen, USA Today
