Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said on Thursday that FBI director Kash Patel had granted his request to the federal government to help locate the Democrats in Texas House who fled the state to protest against the redistribution efforts led by the GOP.
Cornyn’s letter requesting federal aid to find and investigate state legislators was sent on Tuesday.
“I thank President Trump and the Patel Director for having quickly supported and acted my appeal to the federal government to keep these so -called legislators responsible for the Le Flieu leakage in Texas. We cannot allow these thug legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities,” Cornyn said in a press release.
The FBI refused to comment on the issue.
Cornyn also joined the radio program “The Mark Davis” Thursday morning and expressed his gratitude for the quick response of the patel.
“Just to go to the bottom, I asked Kash to examine him and he replied quickly, I was grateful to him,” said the senator.
Senator John Cornyn left a lunch at the Senate at the American Capitol on June 3, 2025.
Call Tom Williams / CQ-Roll via Getty Images
The chief of the Hakeem Jeffries House minority criticized Cornyn and the FBI after Cornyn said the office had granted his request.
“Shouldn’t the FBI track terrorists, drug traffickers and children’s predators?
Cornyn called “irresponsible” democrats for breaking the quorum – and making the legislature unable to conclude legislation, including some in responses to the floods that have devastated the region recently.
“There are a number of things on the call that Governor Abbott has listed, including redistribution, but they all miss it. And I think it’s irresponsible, and I think we just need to go to the bottom,” said Cornyn. “They were able to go home one day … It will not succeed. They will not be able to escape their responsibility. This is a blow.”
The Texas House of Representatives again failed Tuesday to move forward by promulgating the new GOP Congress card, which could clearly the Republicans between three and five seats in the mid-term elections next year. These additional seats could be the manufacturer of difference on whom has control of the American house – a room where the Republicans have a small majority.
The president of the Dustin Burrows Chamber, a Republican, said that the legislator would try on Friday to establish a quorum.
In the meantime, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Department of Public Security to find and arrest these Democrats, said that Abbott will remain in force until they are “recorded and brought back” to Austin.
President Donald Trump, earlier this week, told ABC News, the chief of the White House, Mary Bruce, the FBI “may have to get involved.”
“You can’t just sit down. You have to go back. You have to fight it. This is what the elections are for,” said the president at the time.
