Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has stepped up pressure over Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke’s Powered by People PAC. Like Trump, he’s going after the left’s money when they misbehave, and now he’s asking for Powered by People to be shut down entirely.
Attorney General Ken Paxton has escalated his legal fight against Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke, filing an amended petition to strip the corporate charter of his group Powered by People.
Paxton says the organization been deceptively fundraising and doling out “Beto Bribes” to Democrat lawmakers who fled the state to break quorum.
“Robert and his unlawful influence scheme, Powered by People, have deceived donors, bought off Texas politicians, and unlawfully assisted runaway Democrats in avoiding arrest,” Paxton said Friday. “As much as Robert and the sell-out Democrats might wish to ignore them, we do have laws that must be followed. I have asked the court to enforce its previous TRO, throw Beto behind bars, and revoke Powered by People’s charter for its unlawful conduct. There must be consequences.”
Paxton first sued O’Rourke and Powered by People last week, accusing them of misleading donors by soliciting money through ActBlue under the guise of supporting Democrats’ political fight, while using the funds for personal expenses such as private jets, luxury hotels, and dining. That same day, a Tarrant County court issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting such fundraising.
According to Paxton, O’Rourke defied the order less than 24 hours later at a Fort Worth rally, telling the crowd, “there are no refs in this game, f*** the rules,” while directing them to donate via the same ActBlue link cited in the lawsuit. The attorney general responded with a motion for contempt, seeking fines and jail time.
Declaring that the stakes are so high that you don’t need to obey the rules would seem to be a particularly foolish approach when dealing with an Attorney General as determined and tenacious as Ken Paxton.
I can’t help but wonder if these actions haven’t handed state and national Republicans enough probable cause to take a deep dive into the structure and financing of ActBlue (which has been caught committing campaign financing fraud on numerous occasions) with the same digital forensic tools DOGE used so successfully to disentangle USAID graft conduits. That sort of discovery might turn up all sorts of shady financial shenanigans, of which illegal foreign contributions may only been the tip of the iceberg. Such a move could not only bring about a vast number of indictments, but also cripple already-lagging Democratic fundraising efforts into 2026 and beyond.
The new filing adds a quo warranto claim, asking the court to terminate Powered by People’s authority to do business in Texas for violating criminal laws, including felony bribery and hindering the apprehension of a fugitive.
A quo warranto claim is a fairly ancient legal revocation that basically says you done screwed up so bad that you no longer have the right to exist, hand over your charter.
The final cherry of irony on Beto’s Screw-up Sundae is that Democrats have just given up on their quorum break (just like the last two times they pulled this maneuver) for the just-started second special session, and it’s a near certainty that Gov. Abbott’s redistricting initiative (and a lot of his other legislative priorities) will pass despite Democrat grandstanding.
Good job all around, guys…
Tags: ActBlue, Beto O'Rourke, Brandon Waltens, campaign finance fraud, Crime, Democrats, fraud, fundraising, Ken Paxton, Lawsuit, PAC, Powered by People, Redistricting, Special Session, Texas, Texas Scorecard
State level public official bribery offenses are a predicate for federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act prosecutions. A federal RICO conviction would conclusively end Beto’s political career and his Powered by People PAC.
I really like the sound of “…throw Beto behind bars…”.
You misspelled O’Rourke’s nickname. It’s Beta O’Rourke. Beta.