Paxton to investigate whether O'Rourke group financed Texas Democrats who left state

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Wednesday that his office is investigating whether former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s political organization is gifting “Beto Bribes” to Texas House Democrats who left the state to break quorum in protest of the GOP’s redistricting efforts.

The Democratic political action committee in question is Powered by People, which is currently fundraising to help cover food, lodging, and transportation costs incurred by the Democratic lawmakers, who also collectively face fines up to nearly $400,000 if they don’t return by the end of the Texas legislature’s special session on Aug. 19, according to a Politico analysis.