Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives have fled the state to delay a redistricting vote, which they claim is full of Republican gerrymandering. But Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joins Glenn Beck to debunk these claims and reveal a way Governor Greg Abbott could either bring the Democrats back or even remove them from office.\

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Ken Paxton. Welcome to the program.

KEN: Great to be back, Glenn. Hope you're doing well.

GLENN: The same. By the way, how are the polls going for you? How is the race? You're running against Cornyn.

KEN: Well, it's going well. I mean, the numbers -- every poll I've seen, even polls I haven't done, have me way up. My polls have me up 25 points, and we just continue -- I just continue to do the same job I've done over the last 11 years.

He's obviously changed his focus from being what he was, to being an all-in Trump guy over the past few months. It's a miracle.

GLENN: It's a miracle, I know. I know.

Okay. So, Ken, let's talk a little bit about gerrymandering. And what is happening here in the state of Texas.

The -- the -- go ahead.

KEN: No, no, no. Go ahead. And ask the question. I should at least wait for the question.

GLENN: The Democrats don't like the fact that the Republicans are going to do some gerrymandering here, which is done everywhere else. So they have left the state. This is the third time they've done it. So what is their plan?

What is -- what should happen?

And what are you, as the attorney general and the governor going to do about it?

KEN: First of all, it's pretty ironic that they're going to Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, three of the most liberal states.

And some of the most gerrymandered states in the country. I think Illinois might be the most gerrymandered. If you look at Illinois and how strong, I think 82 percent of the members of Congress are -- are Democrats. Whereas, 48 percent of the population votes Republican, so it doesn't match up closely.

So they leave Texas with Democrats. Some of them go to Chicago to a state, that is completely gerrymandered. So it's really, hypocritical in my view.

What they're doing, you already mentioned, in the prelude of talking to me. What the goal is -- honestly, I would have locked them up, when they were in the House, Ted's house, Peter could have shut the doors and kept everybody in. We have done that -- we did that back in 2003.

And once the doors are locked, you can't get out. And you spend the night there, and you vote. And they couldn't have done that.

They did not do that.

They let the cat out of the bag.

The cat is gone. So now you either arrest them, which you're not going to get help, from jurisdictions, like Illinois, Boston -- in Boston, you're not going to get help. Or New York.

So arresting them is not a likely scenario, until they come back.

What happened in the past is our governors have waited them out. Because ultimately, they -- many of them have to come back. They have jobs. They have families. They're not going to live in Illinois. It's cold up there. New York is cold. Boston is cold.

So they come back, and we vote. And every time, we ultimately have been successful.

Another option, we're looking at -- as a matter of fact, when I get off this call, anyway, a bunch of my lawyers talked about this.

This Koporento (phonetic), which is a possibility that we looked into, a couple of years ago. We suggested, it might be a way to take existing members out of their position. If they failed to show up, to perform their duties.

GLENN: Now, you take them out of the positions. Then there has to be a special election. So you can't go right to vote. Right?

KEN: Yeah. No. That changes the quorum. I think it will change the quorum.

So you have less members, your quorum numbers change.

So Abbott could also appoint. I think could appoint, and at least until a special election.

Some of these might be appointing position as well, for a period of time.

GLENN: Wow.

KEN: So there's a possibility. It's definitely not a fast process. Although, we're trying to figure out a way to fast track it.

So that we can get answers, sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it's just a waiting game. Either way, in the end, we know how it will turn out.

Because governor Abbott will not back down.

And they will just keep calling back, until they show up.

GLENN: This is a nuclear weapon, that they launched.

And all you're going to hear from the media, is if you launch back, they're just going to say, that you're using a nuclear weapon.

You're destroying the republic, et cetera, et cetera. But they're the ones that launch the nuclear strike.

And this is the third time, they've tried this.

And it doesn't work.

KEN: Well, what's interesting, Glenn.

I mean, I was in the Texas House, starting in 2003. Sort of 10 years in the house, two years in the Senate.

AG for 11.

And the only thing they've ever left on. It's not abortion.

It's not, you know, welfare.

You know what it is?

It's always this. This is what they care about.

They care about controlling Congress.

About controlling things through manipulation.

And these are the rules of the game.

The Supreme Court laid down the rules.

As you said, you can gerrymander, as long as it's political. The legislature has every right, to draw the lines however they want to.

And they can be really bad lines for the other party, but they're allowed to do it under Texas -- under US Supreme Court president.

GLENN: And it is a state's decision.
This is not a federal decision. This is a state's decision. Every -- every state can do whatever it is. What do you think about New York, which is already gerrymandered?

What do you think about New York that says, well, if Texas is going to do that, then we will just gerrymander even more?

KEN: Well, look, they -- they are entitled to do whatever their state Constitution, their laws allow them to do. There's always a risk.

You go too far. And you stretch those seats too far. There are Republicans in New York. I know. My family is from there. There are Republicans. And if you draw this too tightly, you can -- you can end up losing some of this down the road.

GLENN: I will -- I will tell you, that, you know, the problem with gerrymandering, in my opinion. And the Founders, you know, both Jefferson. And I think it was -- I think it was Adams. And Jefferson wrote about this.

And this is about 1820. So after gerrymandering. It started.

And they talked about how this was a flaw in the Constitution.

That they wish they would have put in, what are called stakes, and it comes right from the Old Testament.

Where, you know, you start with 500 people. And then that's a square.

And then when that becomes, you know, a thousand people, you cut it in half. And then it becomes another square.

And so it just -- you can't gerrymander. Everything just keeps growing. And you just keep cutting it in squares.

Because the problem is: When you gerrymander, all of a sudden, your neighbors don't matter. All of a sudden, you might be represented by somebody who is way away from your community, instead of somebody who is living right in your community.

And the other thing is, you no longer care about the middle.

You're only playing to the extremes. Because you have cut everyone else out, that would help balance you, at all.

It's really dangerous!

Do you agree with that, or no?

KEN: No, I absolutely agree with you.

That's just not the system that the Founders put in place, and as a result, you know, the Democrats are going to do it.

You can sit back and say, well.

Philosophically I'm against this.

And the Democrats are just going to control the House and the Senate forever.

Because we're against this.

So you can't let that happen.

GLENN: Right. Right.

KEN: So I agree with you.

It's not ideal.

But you play by the rules. Just like in football, you may not like the rules, but you play by the rules you've got.


GLENN: Correct. So you're going to decide -- so a warrant, or warrants have been issued, right?

But it's one where they come into the state. And you don't take them to jail. You take them to the House.

Right?

KEN: Yes. It's not a prison sentence. I mean, unless you consider being on the Texas House floor, which I often did, a prison sentence.

The doors are shut, and you're stuck with all those people, sometimes you wish you weren't.

Yeah. It's just -- once they step in the state, will be escorted back the House. Presumably, they'll do what I said to do.

And either, they already know -- if they come back, they are going to stay. They have made their decision.

So who knows when that will be?

But I think in the end, it won't matter, it will happen, the way -- the way Republicans appointed it.

GLENN: Ken, thank you very much.

Are we -- you're going to be looking into, who paid for these flights. It's my understanding, that some of them were flying private jets.

I would like to know who paid for those.

That just has to be declared, before the next election, or at the end of the year.

KEN: So during special session, we have to report on their campaign expenditures and their campaign contributions.

So that will all be seen by the public, but then I think a month after session, or something like that.

So the special session was 30 days. I forget exactly what they called it.

Sometimes -- I would say, some time in September, we should know that information.

GLENN: Wow. Thank you so much, Ken, I appreciate it.

Keep up the good work. God bless. Buh-bye.

So, Stu, I mean, it's nuclear war.
It's nuclear war.

STU: It's a very pathetic version of nuclear war, where you run away to JB Pritzker.

It's not -- it's not the day after exactly.

GLENN: It's sissy. It's sissy nuclear war.

It's Democrat nuclear war.

STU: It really is pathetic.

It's this -- you're scampering away, to hide behind a very large governor in another state.

And we should also highlight why it's Illinois.

There's a reason for this, right?

Like, you know, you could go -- there's an Indian -- a Native American reservation with a -- with the world's largest casino Glenn, right over the border at Texas.

They could go there, and stay there.

And they would be across state lines. They're in Illinois, because, you know --

GLENN: Fundraiser.

STU: Exactly.

GLENN: They're looking because they want JB Pritzker to be their sugar daddy.

And they also realize, that JB Pritzker's likely to run for president in 2028. These people want to be close to those types of -- that type of money. He's a billionaire. And that type of influence.

And so they're going there, to sort of scout, whatever the next gig is. Or wherever the next donation is coming from.

It has nothing to do with, you know, caring about any of this.

Like, of course, they care about the seats. You know, Ken is right. That's seemingly their most central interest is power.

But this is -- this is -- this works on multiple fronts, for their continued power.

And this is why they're doing it. Even though, they know they will fail.

There's no way, this ends with -- with Texas not having a quorum, for the rest of the term.

Like, that's not how this ends.

GLENN: No. No.

You know, and what's sad is, they're supposed to be talking about property tax relief.

But if you really want to help your constituents, you pass that. You -- you change the property tax rules.

The property tax in Texas, is just -- like, Florida, completely out of control. Completely out of control.

STU: Yeah. I certainly agree with that. But there's also the flood. These flood victims.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: And it's funny, because, the way the media is spinning this. Is that Republicans are stopping it.

It's like, no. Wait a minute. The Democrats are in another state.

What do you mean the Republicans are stopping the funding?

They come back, and they can start as it does they will do the maps.

That will be part of it.

That will happen either way. This way will also give the money to the people that need it, in these flood zones.

That is -- and it's fascinating that the Republicans get the blame for that.

Just like Israel is getting the blame for the starving hostages now.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

STU: You know, where wait a minute. Hamas is starving the hostages. But it's Israel's fault that they're starving?

It's hard to even follow the logic. But that's where we are.

GLENN: I know. I know.

The other thing is that they were getting rid of the star tests.

Which your kids have taken star testing. Stu?

STU: Maybe. I don't know.

I don't pay attention to it, much.

They come and go.

GLENN: Yeah. The star testing is the state of Texas.

The standard -- standardized test.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: And everybody hates it.

Teachers hate it. Kids hate it.

Because you're teaching half of the year, just to that test.

And it's ridiculous.

You've got to stop teaching to tests!

That's what makes schools so depressing. Is you're just memorizing for a test.

You're just memorizing. And what is that teaching you?

That's not teaching how to think. That's teaching you what to think, and how to answer questions on a test, that you've memorized. It's ridiculous.

I don't know why we do it. And that's another thing that is on the list.

But, you know, the Democrats had to get out of town. So they could -- gosh darn it. So they could stand for their constituents!