Imagine a group of liberal lawmakers who actively support the Green New Deal, an environmentalist policy that discourages people from traveling by air, but decided to skip work and take private planes to Washington DC for a photo-op.
Now imagine that same group of lawmakers openly support a bill in Washington DC that would eliminate the ability for Republicans in Washington to filibuster while actively participating in a filibuster against a bill that would grant integrity to elections in their home state.
You don't have to imagine because that's exactly what's happening right now as Democratic lawmakers in the Texas legislature flee the state on two chartered flights to Washington DC to prevent the passage of Republican-led bills aimed at restoring election integrity during a special session called for by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The special session also includes a vote on a bill that seeks to stop bond reform, a progressive policy that has been repeatedly blamed for over 100 homicides at the hands of recently released violent criminals in southeast Texas and throughout the state, according to victims rights advocate Andy Kahan of Crime Stoppers.
A coalition of members of the Texas state House boarded private planes purportedly owned by Philippe Khalil Ziade, a Lebanese-American entrepreneur and honorary consul of Lebanon in Nevada, according to Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park). Ziade is the founder and chairman of Las Vegas based Growth Holdings and is highly engaged in Lebanese politics and other ex-pat affairs, according to the Republican lawmaker. Cain provided KPRC Radio with flight logs from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to confirm the claim. The flight logs list an airplane tail number, a code unique to a single aircraft supposedly associated with Ziade, according to Cain.
This is not the first time Democrats in Texas have skipped a vote on election integrity. In June Vice President Kamala Harris praised Texas state Democrats for walking off the job during the previous month's vote on a GOP-led elections bill.
Photo: Getty Images
AUSTIN, TX - JULY 08: Texas state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, speaks alongside members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus and voting rights advocates during a rally outside of the Texas State Capitol on the first day of the 87th Legislature's special session on July 8, 2021 in Austin, Texas. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called the legislature into a special session, asking lawmakers to prioritize his agenda items that include overhauling the states voting laws, bail reform, border security, social media censorship, and critical race theory. (Photo by Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)