>>> WE TOOK A STAND AND WE LEFT
THE STATE OF TEXAS BECAUSE THAT
WAS THE BEST AND THE RIGHT THING
TO DO AT THE RIGHT TIME.
>> I AM TIRED OF SITTING AS A
HOSTAGE IN A HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES -- TEXAS HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES WHILE
REPUBLICANS STRIP AWAY THE
RIGHTS OF MY CONSTITUENTS TO
VOTE.
>> WE HAVE COURAGE, CONVICTION,
AND A LITTLE BIT OF DEFIANCE.
AND WE ARE HERE TODAY TO RALLY
THE NATION.
AND WE HOPE THAT THE U.S. SENATE
WILL HEAR US.
>> DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS IN TEXAS
LEFT THE STATE YESTERDAY AND ARE
NOW IN WASHINGTON.
IN AN EFFORT TO BLOCK
REPUBLICANS FROM PASSING A NEW
VOTING LAW.
HERE IS NBC NEWS JUSTICE
CORRESPONDENT PETE WILLIAMS TO
EXPLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING.
>> Reporter: DEMOCRATS BROUGHT A
SPECIAL SESSION IN TEXAS TO A
HALT BY DEPRIVING IT OF A
QUORUM, REPUBLICANS ARE PUSHING
TO END DRIVE BY VOTING AND
ADDING AN ID REQUIREMENT BUT
ABOUT 60 DEMOCRATS LEFT HEADED
HERE TO WASHINGTON, TO URGE
CONGRESS TO PASS A FEDERAL BILL.
A SIMILAR WALKOUT BY TEXAS
DEMOCRATS IN MAY SHUTDOWN THE
LEGISLATURE SO GOVERNOR GREG
ABBOTT CALLED THIS 30 DAY
SPECIAL SESSION.
>> AND HERES WHAT GOVERNOR GREG
ABBOTT SAID LAST NIGHT ABOUT THE
DEMOCRATS MOVE.
>> ISNT THAT THE MOST UNTEXAN
THING YOUVE EVER HEARD, RUNNING
FROM A FIGHT.
THIS IS NOT OVER.
I WILL CALL SPECIAL SESSION
AFTER SPECIAL SESSION.
ONCE THEY STEP BACK INTO THE
STATE OF TEXAS, THEY WILL BE
ARRESTED AND BROUGHT TO THE
CAPITOL AND WE WILL BE
CONDUCTING BUSINESS.
>> JOINING US NOW ONE OF THE
LAWMAKERS WHOS CURRENTLY IN
D.C., TEXAS REPRESENTATIVE
JASMINE CROCKETT.
ALSO WITH US NBC NEWS CAPITOL
HILL CORRESPONDENT KASIE HUNT.
JASMINE, ILL START WITH YOU.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
GOVERNORS THREATS TO ARREST
YOU?
>> IM NOT WORRIED ABOUT IT.
TO GIVE A LITTLE BACKGROUND,
WHAT I NORMALLY DO IS PRACTICE
CRIMINAL LAW AS WELL AS CIVIL
RIGHTS.
SO THERE IS NO LAW THAT HE CAN
MAKE UP BY HIMSELF TO SOMEHOW
MAKE IT A CRIME THAT WE DID
EVERYTHING WE COULD UNDER THE
CONSTITUTION.
WE ARE OUT OF THE STATE SO THAT
WE COULD GET OUT OF THE
JURISDICTION OF DPS JUST IN CASE
THERE WAS A CALL PUT ON THE
HOUSE, WHICH THE GOVERNOR
DOESNT DO, THE HOUSE SPEAKER
HAS TO DO THAT.
AND SO AT THIS POINT IN TIME,
THE GOVERNOR IS WITHOUT ANY
OPTIONS.
>> SO WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN
TODAY?
WHAT ARE YOU GUYS -- AS A GROUP,
WHEN ARE YOU HEADED BACK TO
TEXAS, AND WHATS THE PLAN?
>> SO I WONT GO BACK TO TEXAS,
NOR WILL MY COLLEAGUES, UNTIL
THE SPECIAL SESSION ENDS.
EACH SESSION CAN ONLY LAST 30
DAYS, SO AUGUST 7th IS WHEN THIS
SPECIAL SESSION WILL END.
WE WILL NOT BE IN THE
JURISDICTION OF TEXAS BEFORE
THEN.
WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARENT TALKING
ABOUT IS THE GOVERNOR DECIDED TO
DEFUND THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH OF
GOVERNMENT.
THAT MEANS THAT THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH DOESNT HAVE THE MONEY TO
FUNCTION COME SEPTEMBER 1ST.
SO TECHNICALLY HE CAN CALL
SPECIAL SESSIONS BUT UP UNTIL
SEPTEMBER 1, AFTER THAT, THEYRE
OUT OF MONEY AND WE CANT
FUNCTION ANYWAY.
SO THE GOVERNOR HAS REALLY BOXED
HIMSELF IN.
AND, YOU KNOW, WERE PREPARED TO
FIGHT.
WHAT WERE NOW SEEING IS A
CRUMBLING OF OUR DEMOCRACY.
YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT EARLIER
THE INSURRECTION.
THAT WAS KIND OF LIKE THAT FEVER
PITCH, RIGHT NOW THE NEXT MOVE
HAS BEEN TO STRIP AS MANY VOTING
RIGHTS AWAY FROM CITIZENS HERE
IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND
THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY.
AND WERE PREPARED TO FIGHT
BACK.
>> REPRESENTATIVE CROCKETT, ITS
WILLIE GEIST, GOOD TO SEE YOU
THIS MORNING.
ARENT YOU DELAYING THE
INEVITABLE HERE?
YOU GET THROUGH THIS SESSION BUT
EVENTUALLY YOU HAVE TO GO BACK
TO TEXAS AT WHICH POINT THIS LAW
LIKELY WITH REPUBLICAN VOTES
WILL PASS.
WHATS THE END GAME HERE?
>> THE END GAME IS TO MOVE THE
SENATE.
AS YOU CAN SEE OUR GOVERNOR IS
BEING AGGRESSIVE, SO IS OUR
HOUSE AND TEXAS SENATE, THEYRE
ALL REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED.
THE OPPOSITE OF D.C., A
DEMOCRATIC CONTROLLED HOUSE,
SENATE AND WHITE HOUSE.
WERE ASKING FOR THAT LEVEL OF
AGGRESSION TO DO GOOD BECAUSE
RIGHT NOW THE REPUBLICANS IN
TEXAS ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY
CAN TO DO BAD.
SO WE WANT THAT BACKUP.
HISTORICALLY, TEXAS ALWAYS GETS
IN TROUBLE BY THE TIME THEY PASS
A LAW, THEY ARE DETERMINED TO BE
INTENTIONALLY DISCRIMINATORY.
SO WE DONT HAVE THAT BACKUP
RIGHT NOW.
WERE IMPRESSING UPON D.C. TO DO
THEIR PART TO GIVE US BACKUP.
THAT WAY, ONCE THEY PASS THIS
INTENTIONALLY DISCRIMINATORY
BILL WE KNOW WE CAN HAVE THOSE
PORTIONS STRUCK DOWN.
>> REPRESENTATIVE, ITS KASIE
HUNT.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO CRITICS WHO
ARGUE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOURE
SHIRKING YOUR RESPONSIBILITY,
YOURE SUPPOSED TO BE
LEGISLATING, TEXAS VOTERS DID
SEND REPUBLICANS TO CONTROL
THESE CHAMBERS AND THIS IS THE
WILL OF THE PEOPLE WHO ELECTED
THEM, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO CRITICS
WHO SAY YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED
IN THE STATE TO FIGHT?
>> YEAH.
YOU KNOW, I DONT REPRESENT
ANYONE OTHER THAN THE PEOPLE IN
DISTRICT 100.
I CAN TELL YOU IN HOUSE DISTRICT
100 THEY ARE SO HAPPY THAT I GOT
OUT OF THE STATE.
THEY WERE CALLING AND
ENCOURAGING ME TO LEAVE THE
STATE.
SENDING EMAILS.
WE ACTUALLY RECEIVED CALLS FROM
FROM ALL OVER, NOT JUST IN THE
STATE OF TEXAS.
WE RECEIVED CALLS FROM
EVERYWHERE P.
I AM DOING MY RESPONSIBILITY.
I AM DOING WHAT IS ALLOWED FOR
UNDER OUR CONSTITUTION.
JUST BECAUSE ITS NOT WHAT THE
GOVERNOR WANTS DOESNT MEAN THAT
IM NOT DOING MY JOB.
IN FACT, I WOULD ARGUE JUST THE
OPPOSITE.
I WASNT ELECTED BY THE GOVERNOR
OF TEXAS, NOR WERE THE OTHER
REPUBLICANS BUT THEY FAILED TO
LISTEN TO TEXANS.
WHEN YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE
TESTIMONY ON SATURDAY ON THE
HOUSE AND SENATE SIDE.
THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT
AT THE LAST MINUTE DROVE FROM
ALL PORTIONS OF TEXAS, WHEN THEY
TESTIFIED, THE MAJORITY OF THEM
SAID THEY WERE AGAINST THIS
BILL.
THEY TOLD THEIR VERY STORIES,
FIRST RESPONDERS TALKED ABOUT
THE BENEFIT OF HAVING 24-HOUR
VOTING AFTER COMING OFF A
24-HOUR SHIFT KNOWING THEY WOULD
NOT HAVE TO STAND IN LINE AND
THEY COULD CAST THEIR BALLOTS
BUT THOSE LAWMAKERS THEY DIDNT
CARE, THEY DIDNT LISTEN TO THE
TESTIMONY, BECAUSE THEY ARE
TAKING THEIR MARCHING ORDERS
FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND THATS
NOT WHO PUTS US IN OFFICE.
IT IS THE PEOPLE.
IT IS TIME FOR THIS GOVERNMENT
TO START WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE
AND NOT THE GOVERNOR.
>> TEXAS REPRESENTATIVE JASMINE