JENNINGS: They should go to work. Should they not? I mean, they got elected to represent people in Texas, not people in Illinois.
ROGINSKY: So should Congress. Why did they abandon the House to not vote on these Epstein files?
JENNINGS: It's the August recess. And if you're comparing to --
ROGINSKY: Oh, no, no, it was not the August reces…
JENNINGS: Once again, you're showing just how --
ROGINSKY: …it was not- it was not…
JENNINGS: Once again, you’re- you’re showing just how dishonest you’re willing to be.
ROGINSKY: …it was not- it was not the August recess. They left early.
JENNINGS: The reality is they got elected. They got elected to go to work in the Texas State Capitol. They've left the state. They're abandoning their constituents. And if they want to go vote against the map, that's fine, but running off to Illinois, the most gerrymandered state in the country, I mean, I understand no one in the PR. department at the Texas House Democratic Conference must have been at work that day, but it looks horrific for them.
(CROSSTALKS)
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON: …let it be horrific. Let it be horrific.
XOCHITL HINOJOSA: And I want to speak to this because, in full disclosure, my sister was one of the people who fled to Illinois, who's a state representative in Austin. And what I will say about that is that they had to flee. They don't have control.
JENNINGS: Had to flee?
HINOJOSA: Let me tell you, they don't have control…
JENNINGS: Are they in danger?
HINOJOSA: …of the House or the Senate or the Governor's mansion or anything in Texas? But what I will say is that Republicans are trying to take away districts ,and on the backs of Latino and African American voters in the state. And there are several districts in South Texas where I was born and raised on the border, Houston, Austin, where they are trying to dilute the Latino vote and trying to kick out people, like Greg Casar and the representative, Sylvia Garcia, from Houston. And these are elected leaders that were picked by Latino voters. And so, yes, I think it is right for the Texas legislators to get up and go. This is not- they’re- the only reason they're doing this is for political purposes, and Trump has said himself over and over that he is only doing this because he wants to pick up seats for the midterm election. He’s not doing this for any other reason
JENNINGS: So, you get elected to represent people in Texas, and your reaction to that is to go to Illinois and hide behind JB Pritzker?
HINOJOSA: They're breaking quorum. That's what they're doing.
JENNINGS: I mean…I mean…
HINOJOSA: They're breaking quorum because it is not right --
JENNINGS: It's- at a minimum it's childish, and it might be criminal.
HINOJOSA: Well- you know which childish and criminal, is Abbott, who is going against the will of the voters by redistricting, not based on census data, but based on Donald Trump's will in order to gain more seats because Donald Trump is scared about losing the House of Representatives because of higher costs.
JENNINGS: I just think they should go to work. They should go to work.
