1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Your request that the FBI pursue Texas legislators who broke quorum was cowardly, authoritarian, and disgraceful. Now, this misuse of power has escalated into the unlawful detention of a duly elected official. On Monday, Democratic Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth returned to the Texas Capitol. She reports that she remains locked inside the Capitol against her will because she refused to sign a so-called “permission slip” to be held under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety. This is not procedure. This is not politics. This is kidnapping. The law is clear: Texas Penal Code, Title 5, Chapter 20, Sections 20.01 and 20.04 define unlawful restraint and kidnapping. Holding Rep. Collier without charges or legal authority is a direct violation of those statutes. Breaking quorum is not a crime. It is a long-standing tactic used by both parties in Texas history. The fact that Texas Repubiclans and Governor Abbott would rather lock up legislators than engage them in debate reveals the depth of your cowardice and contempt for democracy. Therefore, I demand in the strongest terms: Release Representative Nicole Collier at once. Every hour she remains confined, you and your allies are complicit in the unlawful restraint of an elected lawmaker. Texans should be horrified that their government is physically detaining officials for political ends. Your duty is to the Constitution and the people of Texas—not to Donald Trump, not to Greg Abbott, and not to your party’s desperate bid to cling to power. If you will not condemn this and demand her release, then you are enabling a felony under Texas law. History will remember you as a coward who chose authoritarianism over democracy.