Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday that he “took emergency action to begin the removal from office of derelict Democrat Texas House members who refuse to show up for the special session.”
The Democrats broke quorum, leaving the state, in response to Abbott’s gerrymandering attempt to gain five GOP seats in the House of Representatives.
Christian D. Menefee, County Attorney for Harris County (which includes Houston and is the most populous county in Texas and the third-most populous county in the U.S.), responded to Abbott’s brief on social media.
[Note: Menefee, a Democrat, is running in the 2025 special election to represent Texas’s 18th congressional district. The seat is currently vacant — it was previously held by Democrat Sylvester Turner before his death in March.]
Menefee wrote: “Texas lawyer here. I read the brief. It’s astonishingly stupid. For many reasons. But start here: – Breaking quorum is a well-established political tool used by both parties. It’s not abandonment (no one is permanently giving up their duties). It’s a strategy within a voting body to impact a potential … vote. – We know what bribery is. It’s influence peddling. Not fundraising from the public to cover travel/fines (standard political activity). These arguments are deeply unserious.”
Texas lawyer here.
— Christian D. Menefee (@CDMenefee) August 5, 2025
I read the brief. It’s astonishingly stupid. For many reasons.
But start here:
– Breaking quorum is a well-established political tool used by both parties. It’s not abandonment (no one is permanently giving up their duties). It’s a strategy within a voting… https://t.co/7MTLPnrhPo
Menefee also responded to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who announced that he “just launched an investigation into Beto O’Rourke’s radical group for unlawfully funding runaway Democrats. Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable.”
Menefee replied: “Rampant abuse of power going on right now in Texas. I hope the rest of the country is watching.”
Rampant abuse of power going on right now in Texas.
— Christian D. Menefee (@CDMenefee) August 6, 2025
I hope the rest of the country is watching. https://t.co/zHLu3ZBaU7
Note: Since 2021, as County Attorney of Harris County, Menefee has filed several lawsuits and taken other legal action against Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton.
Menefee is running against seven other Democratic candidates to represent Texas’s congressional 18th district, including Jolanda Jones, Texas state representative from the 147th district, and Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards.
