'Not the way': Ex-Bush official slams GOP over election plot

Former George W. Bush administration White House press secretary Ari Fleischer slammed his party on X for the effort to rig district lines in Texas in the middle of the decade.

"I want to win 5 more seats in the House, But mid-census change in Texas is not the way to do it," wrote Fleischer, a conservative firebrand and Fox News personality who has nonetheless warned his party to rein in their excesses on occasion. "Even politics must have rules. Gerrymandering should be done once every ten years — by all states. Otherwise, there are no rules and it’s the equivalent of all- out, political wars all the time — simply to gain power."

"No state should gerrymander until 2032, including Texas," he added. "It’s fair to everyone this way. Even politics should be conducted in a fair manner."

Texas lawmakers have initiated a mid-decade redistricting process after President Donald Trump leaned heavily on the state to create a new congressional gerrymander that gives Republicans five extra seats.

Other GOP states consider following Texas' lead, though so far only Republicans in Ohio — which is legally required to redraw its maps — are certain to move forward. California Democrats have threatened to pass their own pro-Democratic gerrymander to offset those five seats if the proposed Texas map passes.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers in Texas have fled to other states, breaking quorum in the special session and paralyzing the state legislature for the time being. GOP officials have threatened civil arrests of the absent lawmakers.