Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took to X on Wednesday to rage against state appeals court judges after they paused discovery in his case, trying to shut down fundraising for former Democratic Congressman Beto O'Rourke's organization, Powered By People.
O'Rourke, a multiple-time unsuccessful Democratic candidate for statewide office in Texas, helped fundraise the effort by Democratic state representatives to walk out of the state, denying a quorum for two weeks as Republicans passed a Donald Trump-ordered redistricting plan that would make five Democratic seats more favorable to Republicans.
Ultimately, the GOP passed the map after Democrats returned to the state, and the redistricting is facing a civil rights lawsuit. However, while this was going on, Paxton filed to block Powered By People from contributing to the fines, travel expenses, and lost wages of the protesting Democratic lawmakers, alleging it was an illegal bribery scheme.
With his suit at least temporarily scuppered, Paxton accused the judges — who were appointed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott — of helping Democrats break the law.
"What we are witnessing in Texas right now is a constitutional crisis being orchestrated by activist judges on the Beto-loving Fifteenth Court of Appeals," wrote Paxton. "Beto said, 'f*** the rules,' and these unelected justices — Scott Brister, Scott Field, and April Farris — are helping him do just that with his unlawful bribery scheme. What's worse is that the Texas Supreme Court just made a ruling refusing to stop the appeals court's insane decision to help Beto."
"We must stop Beto from buying off our politicians and the judicial activism allowing it to happen," he continued.
O'Rourke then hit back in a short response to Paxton's manifesto.
"You think the 15th appeals court judges appointed by Greg Abbott are working for me?" he wrote, astounded. "You okay?"
Paxton is currently running in the Republican Senate primary, challenging longtime incumbent John Cornyn. The race has heated up as both Texas Republicans tear into each other's records and character, and was recently rattled by news that Paxton's wife is divorcing him over infidelity.