1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:08,559 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news Now. 2 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 2: Just moments ago, President Trump commented on the ongoing situation 3 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 2: in Texas regarding the Democrats who fled the state to 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 2: avert redistricting efforts. Take a listen. 5 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 3: Well, I think they've abandoned the state. Nobody's seen anything 6 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 3: like it, even though they've done it twice before, and 7 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:25,760 Speaker 3: in a certain way, it almost looks like they've abandoned 8 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 3: the state. It looks very bad. 9 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, go ahead, please get involved. Should the FBI get involved, well, 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 2: they may have to. They may have to. Joining us 11 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 2: now for more here on Balance of Power on Bloomberg 12 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 2: TV and Radio is Democratic Texas State Representative James Tallerico. 13 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 2: Welcome back to Balance of Power. Representative. It's good to 14 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 2: have you. The other thing we heard from the President 15 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 2: is that Democrats did this redistricting first. That was his 16 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 2: response when questioned about what's happening in Texas. Given the 17 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 2: rhetoric we are hearing from other blue state governors, be 18 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 2: it Kathy Hochel or Gavin Newsom, does the President have 19 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 2: a point or Democrats kind of counteract your argument that 20 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 2: what Texas is doing is wrong. 21 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: No, not at all. Typically state legislatures, whether they're in 22 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: blue states or red states, they adjust district boundaries at 23 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: the beginning of the decade, and yes, they jerrymanders. Sometimes 24 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: Democrats do it, sometimes Republicans do it. It is wrong 25 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:20,960 Speaker 1: in either instance because politicians shouldn't be picking their voters. 26 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: Voters should be picking their politicians. But what's happening here 27 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: is a whole nother level. The President of the United States, 28 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: the most powerful man in the country, requested that Texas 29 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:35,559 Speaker 1: Republicans find him five more congressional seats, and so now 30 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,919 Speaker 1: they are redrawing the maps they just drew in twenty 31 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:42,320 Speaker 1: twenty one to rig the next election for him, to 32 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: insulate him from public accountability. And that's a fundamental disruption 33 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: to the democratic process. If the president wanted to campaign 34 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: on his policies and try to win base on the 35 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: maps that we all set in twenty twenty one, that 36 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: would be fine. That's how this process is supposed to work. 37 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: But that's not what's happening. The President is trying to 38 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: execute a power grab in the state of Texas, and 39 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: we will not let him cheat in order to hold 40 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: onto power. 41 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,119 Speaker 3: Reptel Rico, it's good to have you back. On Bloomberg. 42 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 3: We spoke with your colleague and the Senate yesterday, Chris Turner. 43 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 3: I'm sorry State Rep. Chris Turner, another Democrat who has 44 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 3: fled I believe to the same city that you did. 45 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 3: To try to make a point here, but we also 46 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 3: kind of acknowledge the fact that this really will not 47 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,359 Speaker 3: change the outcome of this effort because the governor can 48 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 3: continue to set special sessions, and mister Turner learned that 49 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,239 Speaker 3: just a few years ago in the last attempt at redistricting. 50 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 3: I think it was five weeks before everybody came back 51 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 3: and this took place at last. What is the real 52 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 3: purpose of you leaving Texas? Is it to publicize what's happening, 53 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 3: Is it to raise money around it? Or both? 54 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: Well, I actually want to push back on the idea 55 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: that our twenty twenty one quorum break was a failure. 56 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: It wasn't. And I also want to clarify that it 57 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: wasn't over redistricting. It was over a voter suppression bill 58 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: that would have made it harder to vote in the 59 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: state of Texas. Texas is one of the hardest places 60 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: to vote in the entire country, and so we broke 61 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: quorum and we drew national attention, a national spotlight on 62 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:15,080 Speaker 1: that voter suppression effort, and that spotlight convinced Texas Republicans 63 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: to take the worst parts out of that bill. A 64 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: ban on souls to the polls, which is Sunday morning voting, 65 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: which African American churches traditionally use to get their congregants 66 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: out to vote. Also a provision that would have allowed 67 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: Republican politicians to overturn election results they didn't like. And 68 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: both of those parts were taken out because of our 69 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: quorum break. So it is a tool in the toolbox 70 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: of the minority for when the majority oversteps their constitutional duties. 71 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: And so I'm hoping that this quorum break can do 72 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,119 Speaker 1: the same thing by shining a national and now international 73 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: spotlight on this power grab in Texas. We're hoping our 74 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: Republican colleagues will walk back from the brink. I hope 75 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: we can play by the same rules that we set 76 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one and not cheat in the middle 77 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: of the game. I mean by mid decade redistricting, they 78 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: are essentially like the team coming out of halftime during 79 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: a football game that's ahead and they say they want 80 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: to change the rules for the second half so they 81 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: can win the game. That's cheating, plain and simple. If 82 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: they're going to cheat, we're not going to play. 83 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 2: Representative. We just heard from President Trump in response to 84 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 2: the call from Republican Senator John cornyin of Texas to 85 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 2: potentially get the FBI involved in the cases of lawmakers 86 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 2: like yourself, who will flood the state of Texas to 87 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 2: execute this quorum break. What is your reaction to that, sir. 88 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 2: What happens if the FBI gets involved. 89 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,919 Speaker 1: Well, it's completely consistent with this rigged map. They are 90 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: trying to rob Texans, Democrats, independents, and Republicans from their 91 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: god given right to pick the representatives of their choice. 92 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: And now Donald Trump and Greg Abbott and Ken Paxson 93 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: are talking about removing or arresting public officials, the people's representatives, 94 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: from their offices. And so this is a page out 95 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,160 Speaker 1: of the authoritarian playbook that we've seen in other countries. 96 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: And it should be alarming to all of us, not 97 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 1: just Democrats, but Republicans and independence too, not just elected 98 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 1: officials but journalists too. This is a five alarm fire 99 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: in a democratic system, and we all need to act 100 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: with the urgency that this moment demands. 101 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 3: Do you expect that someone will serve a warrant on 102 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 3: behalf of the governor or the FBI try to extradite 103 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 3: you representative. What scenarios have you mapped out based on 104 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 3: what you've. 105 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: Heard so far. Well, I think I can speak for 106 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: myself and my colleagues when I say that we're not 107 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: very worried about the consequences we may face, whether they 108 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 1: are arrest or financial fines, or even removal from office, 109 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: because we have right on our side. We are part 110 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:50,799 Speaker 1: of a long American tradition of looking bullies in the eye, 111 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,599 Speaker 1: of speaking truth to power, of civil disobedience, of good trouble. 112 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: That is how this democracy was forged, and we are 113 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: participating in that tradition, and we're proud to do it. 114 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:04,840 Speaker 1: When Donald Trump asked Georgia Republicans to find him eleven 115 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: thousand votes after he lost the twenty twenty election, those 116 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: Republicans said, no, sir. But when Donald Trump asked Texas 117 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: Republicans to find him five more seats in Congress in 118 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: the middle of the decade, they said, how about Thursday? 119 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: And so that's why my Democratic colleagues and I had 120 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: to take a stand again, not just for our party, 121 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: but for all Americans. 122 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,479 Speaker 3: Democratic Texas State Rep. James tall Rico, we thank you 123 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 3: for returning and joining our conversation here on Bloomberg