Texas Governor Greg Abbott has filed an emergency petition in the Supreme Court of Texas seeking the removal of Democratic State Representative Gene Wu from office, accusing him of abandoning his legislative duties and accepting benefits to skip official votes.
Abbott announced the legal action through a press release Tuesday, describing Wu as “the ringleader of the derelict Democrats who fled the state to break quorum.” The petition comes after House Democrats failed to return to the Texas Capitol by 3:00 PM Monday, August 4, as previously demanded by the governor.
“I made clear in a formal statement on Sunday, August 3, that if the Texas House Democrats were not in attendance when the House reconvened… then action would be taken to seek their removal,” Abbott said, according to the press release. “They have not returned and have not met the quorum requirements.”
The governor argues that Wu and other House Democrats “have shown a willful refusal to return” and have effectively deprived the legislature of its ability to conduct business, calling it an “abandonment of their duty to Texans.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Representative Wu and others “appear to have solicited and received certain benefits in exchange for skipping a vote,” suggesting possible bribery violations in addition to dereliction of duty.
After Governor Greg Abbott filed a petition to the Texas Supreme Court to remove him from office, Texas House of Representatives Minority Leader Rep. Gene Wu issued the following statement:
MY COMMITMENT TO THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS IS UNBREAKABLE.”
The Supreme Court of Texas has not yet responded to the filing or issued a schedule for hearing the petition.
View the Governor’s lawsuit filing HERE
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