Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton scored a major victory against Democrat Party operative Beto O’Rourke this Friday.
Through his Powered by People nonprofit, O’Rourke had been raising money for the disgraced Texas state House Democrats who fled the state to prevent the GOP-controlled state House from pushing forward with redistricting legislation.
In response, Paxton filed suit early Friday, accusing the nonprofit of illegally raising bribes — “Beto Bribes,” as he called them — for the absconding Democrats.
Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Robert Francis O’Rourke for “Beto Bribes” to Democrat Runaways to Impede the Texas Legislature: https://t.co/smB64NmHOS
— Texas Attorney General (@TXAG) August 8, 2025
“O’Rourke and Powered by People intentionally misled donors to fund runaway Democrats’ personal expenses, despite advertising it as political fundraising,” the AG’s office said in a press release.
“By knowingly blurring the distinction, O’Rourke and Powered by People sought to take advantage of uninformed donors by directing them to explicitly political fundraising platforms, all while intending to use the funds for purposes they understood to be constituted as personal expenditures,” the press release continued.
Tarrant County District Judge Megan Fahey agreed. Late Friday, she issued a temporary restraining order against O’Rourke and Powered by People, according to Fox News.
In her ruling, the judge agreed with Paxton that the nonprofit has, one, been engaged in deceptive fundraising practices, and two, violated the law and state House procedures.
BREAKING: I just defeated Beto O’Rourke in court.
We secured a major victory stopping runaway Democrats from taking “Beto Bribes” and preventing deceptive fundraising.
They told me to “come and take it,” so I did. pic.twitter.com/PM3L4pNqqG
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 8, 2025
“Defendants have and will continue to engage in unlawful fundraising practices and utilization of political funds in a manner that either directly violates or causes Texas Democratic Legislators to violate [the law],” her ruling reads.
“Consumer have and continue to suffer irreparable harm through these unlawful acts because they are making political contributions that are being used to fund personal expenses and violate state law,” it continues.
Her order effectively prevents O’Rourke and Powered by People from raising any more money for the absconding Democrats.
“The Beto Bribe buyouts that were bankrolling the runaway Democrats have been officially stopped,” Paxton said in a statement afterward. “Today, I stopped his deceptive financial influence scheme that attempted to deceive donors and subvert our constitutional process. They told me to ‘come and take it,’ so I did.”
But the ruling deeply upset O’Rourke, who responded with an X post whining about how Paxton “is trying to shut down Powered by People, one of the largest voter registration organizations in the country, because our volunteers fight for voting rights and free elections.”
“He wants to silence me and stop me from leading this organization,” O’Rourke added. “He wants to stop us from fighting Trump’s attempt to steal the five congressional seats he needs to hang on to power. But I’m not going anywhere. They want to make examples out of those who fight so that others won’t.”
Paxton is trying to shut down Powered by People, one of the largest voter registration organizations in the country, because our volunteers fight for voting rights and free elections… the kind of work that…
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) August 8, 2025
O’Rourke also reportedly filed his own lawsuit against Paxton, alleging that the AG is engaged in a “fishing expedition, constitutional rights be damned,” and demanding a judge stop the AG’s investigation into his nonprofit.
Paxton responded to the Democrat’s grievances in the most Trumpian fashion possible — by ruthlessly mocking him.
“Cry more, lib,” he wrote in a tweet. “You lost in court because you’re breaking the law and deceiving Texans. We absolutely will make an example out of law breakers.”
Look:
Cry more, lib.
You lost in court because you’re breaking the law and deceiving Texans. We absolutely will make an example out of law breakers. https://t.co/zDc15Q4ghe
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 8, 2025
Fahey, the judge who ruled in Paxton’s favor, is a Republican who was originally appointed in 2019 by Gov. Greg Abbott but has won reelection twice since.
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