A Texas Republican bashed his own party on Monday after they failed to prevent Democrats from breaking quorum in the state legislature.
Rep. Brian Harrison (R-TX), who represents the state’s 10th district, joined MAGA firebrand Steve Bannon on his “War Room” podcast on Monday to talk about Texas’ redistricting efforts. Earlier in the day, state Democrats fled to Illinois to prevent the state legislature from voting to pass the state’s newly redrawn electoral maps.
“This is another in a seemingly limitless series of abject failures by the elected, so-called, Republican leadership in the Texas government,” Harrison said.
Harrison argued that if Republicans truly wanted to redraw the maps, they would have done so already. Republicans hold a trifecta in the state government. The party also filed the amended maps, which eliminate five Democratic seats, on Wednesday when Democrats were in the chambers.
Instead, Harrison accused Republican leadership of working with Democrats to help them break quorum ahead of a vote to approve new election maps.
“This is a failure of elected Republicans in the state of Texas,” Harrison said. “If the state of Texas had bold Republican leadership, the kind you see out of the Trump administration, this quorum break would never have happened,” Harrison continued.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to remove Democrats from their seats upon return, and Attorney General Ken Paxton has said he will vowed to prosecute Democrats upon their return. Democrats have described these threats as smoke and mirrors.