Two of the more than 50 Texas Democrats who fled to Washington, DC to avoid voting on Republican-backed voter integrity legislation in July are now reportedly vacationing in Portugal.
Reps. Julie Johnson and Jessica González and their partners had allegedly planned the trip for more than a year and a half in advance of going to DC. They had non-refundable tickets and simply had to go according to Texas Monthly reporter Jonathan Tilove.
Tilove tweeted, “Hi. Covering the TXDEMS in DC for @TexasMonthly. Can confirm @juliejohnsonTX and her wife & @jessicafortexas and her fiancé are in Portugal for a vacation they had been planning with non-refundable tickets, for a year-and-a-half. Still participating in caucus meetings via ZOOM.”
The Democrats are downplaying their noticeable absence saying that it does not affect Democratic legislators’ bid to block the Republican’s election bill as long as there isn’t a quorum at the state capitol in Austin. But the trip is definitely bad optics for Democrats and it comes on top of several of those same Texas Democrats testing positive for COVID-19.
González is the vice-chair of the Texas House Elections Committee which makes her absence even more problematic. Republicans pounced on the Democrats’ “European vacay.”
European vacay will NOT help a single retired teacher, keep one criminal off the street, support any vulnerable Foster children, stop human trafficking on the border, or provide property tax relief for any Texan. But have fun
The work is in Austin. #getbacktowork#txlege https://t.co/C8NlLYiHDp
— Brad Buckley (@BradBuckleyDVM) August 4, 2021
Portugal's parliament must need help passing legislation that only the #MillerDs can help get across the finish line. I'm told they think they "made a lot of progress" in DC and now they feel they must spread their covid-I-mean expertise to the rest of the world. #txlege #shame https://t.co/JFWgAmvH1Z
— Cody Harris (@CodyforTexas) August 3, 2021
Texas GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw tore into the Democrat legislators on Twitter, snarking, “Please pray for these heroic Texas Democrats as they suffer away from home, in Portugal. Perhaps consider sending them a care package?”
Please pray for these heroic Texas Democrats as they suffer away from home, in Portugal. Perhaps consider sending them a care package? https://t.co/J2Brn2872V
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) August 4, 2021
“Wow, just wow. Had to cancel my family’s vacation last week to Grand Teton [National Park] because of a special session they helped create back in May,” state Rep. Tom Oliverson of Cypress tweeted. “Texas deserves better than this.”
Wow, just wow. 🤯 Had to cancel my family’s vacation last week to Grand Teton because of a special session they helped create back in May. Texas deserves better than this. #txlege https://t.co/guEWC9m2Fc
— Tom Oliverson, M.D. (@TomOliverson) August 3, 2021
GOP State Rep. Jared Patterson angrily tweeted, “Rs are at work in Austin trying to get help to the 400 foster kids sleeping in CPS offices under fluorescent lights while Texas Ds (@juliejohnsonTX & @jessicafortexas) are off on private jets and luxury European vacations. How disgusting is this? Come home and get to work!”
Texas Rs are at work in Austin trying to get help to the 400 foster kids sleeping in CPS offices under fluorescent lights while Texas Ds (@juliejohnsonTX & @jessicafortexas) are off on private jets and luxury European vacations. How disgusting is this? Come home and get to work! https://t.co/fKiSNGH0HJ
— Rep. Jared Patterson (@JaredLPatterson) August 3, 2021
Dallas Democrats even took up a collection for “Dr. Pepper, salsa, hard candy, hairspray, travel toiletries, hand sanitizers, sewing kits, first aid, and/ or $ to pay shipping” to help fugitive Texas legislators in need.
💙 Our Dems in DC said they’d appreciate care packages from home. Before 5pm Tues, we're collecting Dr. Pepper, salsa, hard candy, hairspray, travel toiletries, hand sanitizers, sewing kits, first aid, and/ or $ to pay shipping. TY!
📍 9am-5pm, M-F 1414 N. Washington Ave, Dallas pic.twitter.com/PgZHQTy10h
— Dallas Democrats (@dallasdemocrats) July 24, 2021
The Texas House Democratic Caucus could not account on Tuesday for the two Democrats. They were not with other House Democrats in the nation’s Capitol. Johnson, Gonzalez, and their staff seem to be avoiding commenting on the subject.
However, Gonzalez did text message the San Antonio Express-News Tuesday evening and referred to the Portugal trip as “rumors” and said, “No one has shown proof.”
“These are rumors, period,” she declared. “End of story.”
The news of the legislators’ trip broke as more than 100 state legislators from across the nation fly in for a “week of action” to promote the “For the People” Act, a sweeping voting rights bill that would hand complete control of elections over to the federal government. It is currently stalled in the Senate.
Just hours before word leaked that Johnson and González were allegedly missing from DC, three of their Democratic colleagues held a news conference expressing optimism about the federal elections push.
“We are squarely focused on getting those pieces moving,” state Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso declared to The Texas Tribune. “I think we’re gonna have a lot of success this week.”
The two wayward Democrats were torched on Twitter: (** Language warning)
I guess democracy is not as”urgent” or it can wait until their fun is over 🙄
— CYNDI (@CYNDI_ROSE__) August 4, 2021
Seems Portugal isn’t very selective about what riffraff they let in.
— The Peoples Republic of Padilla (@StpeterPadilla) August 4, 2021
Didn’t they spread enough Covid in DC already? Now they want to take their germy show on the road?
— L’Tequila (@LTequila4) August 4, 2021
Did they provide a forwarding address for the care packages?
— Julia Hanson (@julesverne1492) August 4, 2021
Expenses paid by the CCP????
— Henry_ Agueros (@agueros_henry) August 4, 2021
Can we talk Portugal into keeping them?
— I know an A-hole when I see it but I’m… (@NoProctologist) August 4, 2021
Was there a warrant for their arrest before they left the country? I’m curious if that would bring additional charges.
— It’s all a Distraction (@it_distraction) August 4, 2021
Wonder where all the democrats idiots who keep attacking Sen. Cruz for taking his daughters to Cancun. Are they going to be calling this democrats Portugal hoes?
— abdiel Avila (@Aavilaabdiel) August 4, 2021
Surely Texas must have a law about a public official abandoning their post, getting it vacated after a certain amount of time. Cut off their official salaries and per diems. Fuck them.
— Alberto Alvarado (@alberto_limon7) August 4, 2021
Are we surprised??
— Brand Vodka Soda (@BrandVodkaSoda) August 4, 2021
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