It’s Official: Beto O’Rourke Set $164 Million Democrat Dollars On Fire
O’Rourke amassed roughly $164 million in exchange for underwhelming political performances and narcissistic outbursts.O’Rourke amassed roughly $164 million in exchange for underwhelming political performances and narcissistic outbursts.Texas National Guardsman patrolling border dies by suicide, and Beto O'Rourke wastes no time before playing politics
A Texas National Guardsman patrolling the southern United States border tragically died by suicide on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, Democrat Beto O'Rourke, who is running for governor of Texas, seized on the incident to take an implicit potshot at Gov. Greg Abbott (R).
What are the details?
The solider was assigned to Operation Lone Star, a border security mission that became necessary last year because of the ongoing border crisis.
The National Guardsman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head around 8:20 a.m., according to military documents obtained by the Army Times. The incident took place in Eagle Pass, a border town situated on the front lines of the border crisis.
In a statement, Abbott said he was "deeply saddened" to hear of the soldier's passing.
"Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the soldier," the statement said. "Texas Rangers are leading the investigation, as the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety coordinate with local law enforcement. I ask all Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for the soldier’s family during this heartbreaking time."
The Texas Tribune noted that the soldier's death is unfortunately the fifth suicide linked to Operation Lone Star and the 10th overall National Guardsman death connected to the mission.
Last year, four troops died by suicide over the span of just eight weeks, prompting an investigation.
More from the Texas Tribune:
When the first suicides linked to Operation Lone Star occurred last year, troops on the mission were struggling through pay problems and poor living conditions. Many were also dissatisfied with the large-scale involuntary activations that were required to meet Gov. Greg Abbott’s troop quotas, according to surveys of the mission’s troops obtained by Army Times and the Tribune.
What did O'Rourke say?
In his statement reacting to the news, O'Rourke took a shot at Abbott by claiming Texas National Guardsmen are being used as "political pawns," referring to Operation Lone Star.
"I'm so sorry to hear that a tenth Texas National Guard member has lost their life while deployed under Operation Lone Star," O'Rourke said.
"My thoughts are with his family, community, and the members of the Guard who served all of us alongside him," he added. "They should never be used as political pawns."
\u201cI'm so sorry to hear that a tenth Texas National Guard member has lost their life while deployed under Operation Lone Star. \n\nMy thoughts are with his family, community, and the members of the Guard who served all of us alongside him. They should never be used as political pawns.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1664903240
The soldiers, however, are not being used as political pawns.
Rather, Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 because the Biden administration was failing to adequately respond to the flood of migrants crossing the southern border despite immigration being the responsibility of the federal government.
Operation Lone Star appears to be needed because, since it was launched, a record number of migrants have come into the U.S., which has resulted in a record number of migrant deaths.
Armed Antifa guard 'family-friendly' drag show in CONSERVATIVE Roanoke, Texas
This past weekend, a "family-friendly drag show" popped up in Roanoke, Texas, and Steven Crowder's team was on the scene and captured footage to give the public a healthy dose of reality.
Crowder's team captured footage of approximately 30 Antifa members guarding the Anderson Distillery and Grill in downtown Roanoke. Also on the scene was Antifa, of course. The ideology and not an organized group known as Antifa wore all black, were strapped with rifles, and featured rainbow flags to show their pride for the LGBTQ community.
Undercover footage captured what was taking place inside the distillery. Patrons with their children filled the event and spilled out onto the sidewalk. Locals complained that children were being subjected to sexualized behavior, but one patron countered and said that beauty pageants sexualize children, not drag shows.
Some locals were confused by a sign that read "Keep Roanoke Gay," commenting that they were "unaware that a city could be gay." Most counter-protesters objected to the event for the same reason: Keep kids out of this. The LWC crew spoke with an older gentleman and his wife, who said they were there to pray. Crowder's team also talked to an LGBTQ activist named Kevin, who supported the drag show. Kevin and the older gentleman agreed to discuss their differences, which went exactly as you expected.
Older man: "In your heart, you can tell me that children need to be taught this, in your heart?"
Kevin: "In my heart, I can tell you that there's an openness to this, yes."
Kevin continued with accusations that the older man and his wife have cheated on each other in their marriage and have a desire to commit violent acts against members of the LQBTQ community.
The mayor of Roanoke reached out to Crowder's team to express a sentiment of keeping Roanoke a family-friendly atmosphere. Crowder noted that from what his team caught on camera, "family-friendly" is not how he would describe the city of Roanoke.
Video below.
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UNDER COVER: Beto O'Rourke's pathetic town hall
We sent a team under cover to infiltrate a Beto O'Rourke campaign rally, and what we found was shocking. After Beto used 19 dead children for a cheap political stunt, today is the perfect time to release it! We're also going deep into the Sussmann trial. SPOILER: Everything Trump said was right!
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Beto O'Rourke roasted for wearing 'Don't mess with trans kids' shirt: 'Adult men fangirling over trans kids is extremely creepy'
Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke was skewered online for proudly wearing a "Don't mess with trans kids" shirt.
On Thursday, O'Rourke posted a photo on social media of himself wearing the controversial T-shirt promoting transgender children that has the colors of the Texas state flag on it.
The slogan refers to the successful "Don't mess with Texas" campaign initiated by the Texas Department of Transportation to convince Texans not to litter by featuring ads with celebrities such as blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughan, country singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, and actor Matthew McConaughey.
pic.twitter.com/IUaazsT6eQ— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1648738905
O'Rourke was quickly lampooned on social media for advocating for children to change their gender. Numerous Twitter reactions advised O'Rourke to "not mess with any kids."
BlazeTV personality and "Louder with Crowder" host Steven Crowder: "How about YOU don’t mess with ANY kids. Period."
Lawyer and podcaster David Freiheit: "Beto O’Rourke doesn’t appreciate that he just made a compelling argument against hormone therapy for kids."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw: "How about this, progressives: Don’t mess with kids."
Conservative activist Chris Barron: "Hi Beto, how about just don't mess with kids. Like don't encourage them to engage in genital mutilation or in unnecessary hormone therapy."
Political writer Ian Haworth: "'Don't mess with trans kids, so let them mutilate themselves' is one hell of a hill to die on."
Conservative commentator John Cardillo: "Yeah, this will really resonate with Texans."
Conservative digital creator Benny Johnson: "This should do wonders for your poll numbers."
Senior policy analyst at Independent Women's Forum Inez Stepman: "Adult men fangirling over 'trans kids' is extremely creepy."
Conservative activist Kambree Nelson: "Interesting, not Hispanic but Irish Robert Francis, the only ones who want to mess with Trans kids are liberals. I wonder why? I can't figure out the obsession of children with the left, especially Robert Francis concern with another person's childs sexual orientation... kids should be left alone."
Republican communicator Matt Whitlock: "Hopefully someone in the media will have an opportunity to ask him to expand on what this is in response to, and what his policy prescription is."
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.): "Robert Francis in six months: No one is sexualizing your children."
Second Amendment advocate Dana Loesch: "Are you still going to take all our semi-automatic rifles like you promised?"
Conservative commentator Anna Khait: "Don’t mess with our Constitution."
Fixed it for you. Don\u2019t mess with kids PERIOD.pic.twitter.com/kppwAhBXIa— Kristi Leigh (@Kristi Leigh) 1648742883
O'Rourke shared the photo on Transgender Day of Visibility — an "awareness day" created in 2010 by trans advocates in an effort to "celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, while also drawing attention to the poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces," according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
The Biden administration celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility by endorsing sex-change surgeries and cross-sex hormone substitutions for minors.
O'Rourke – who had previous failed bids for the Senate and presidency – is running against incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in the Texas gubernatorial race.
In February, Abbott ordered state agencies to investigate reports of children being administered puberty blockers and hormone therapy, as well as allegations of "sex change" procedures on minors. Certain medical and chemical sex change procedures performed on children are classified as "abuse," according to Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
"Texas law imposes reporting requirements upon all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such abuse, including doctors, nurses, and teachers, and provides criminal penalties for failure to report such child abuse," Abbott wrote in a letter to the Department of Family and Protective Services.
Last month, O'Rourke diminished Abbott as a "thug" and "oligarch." He also suggested a statewide gun buyback program.
In 2019, then-presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke said he wanted to ban and confiscate "assault weapons" and create a national gun registry.
Beto O'Rourke calls Greg Abbott an 'oligarch' and 'thug,' suggests a statewide gun buyback in Texas
Beto O'Rourke compared current Texas Governor Greg Abbott to a Russian oligarch and proposed a statewide gun buyback program during a Saturday speaking engagement at South by Southwest.
KVUE-10, a local ABC affiliate, reported that O'Rourke was the headline speaker at an event hosted by CEO and co-founder of the Texas Tribune, Evan Smith
Smith asked O'Rourke — who has become known for launching a string of quixotic political campaigns — why he was running for major political office for the third time.
O'Rourke said, "Because I have this extraordinary opportunity to join amazing people in service to my state and to this country. Yet there is no higher honor. I'm grateful for the opportunity, and I love the fact that we're in this race right now."
Smith subsequently asked O'Rourke about his opposition in the gubernatorial campaign — current Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
O'Rourke responded by calling him an "authoritarian."
He said, "I just had the chance to meet with the ambassador from the [European Union]. We talked about the fact that you're seeing the continued rise of authoritarians and thugs across the world, and we have our own right here in the state of Texas."
Smith responded by asking him: "Greg Abbott is a thug in your mind?"
To which O'Rourke responded: "He's a thug. He's an authoritarian. Let me make the case not only to this guy, to his own incompetence, not keep the lights on in the energy capital of the planet last February. But when people like Kelcy Warren and other energy company CEOs made more than $11 billion in profit over five days, selling gas for 200 times the going rate, not only did he not claw back those illegal profits … but he's taking millions of dollars in payoffs from these same people."
O'Rourke added, "He's got his own oligarch here in the state of Texas. You think this stuff only exists in Russia or in other parts of the world?"
Previously, O'Rourke attained a good deal of notoriety for his aggressive stance on gun control.
Notably, during a 2020 Democratic primary debate, he proudly proclaimed, "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47."
However, in mid-March, The Hill reported that O'Rourke told reporters that he wants to "defend the Second Amendment" and that he is "not interested in taking anything from anyone."
Now, O'Rourke is suggested that the state of Texas implement a buyback program encouraging people to sell their firearms to the government.
He told Smith, "I don't think anyone should have [assault-style weapons], and if I can find consensus within the Legislature to have a law in the state of Texas that allows us to buy those AK-47s and AR-15s back, we will."
As Smith noted early on in the discussion, this is O'Rourke's third time running for higher office.
In 2018 he attempted to unseat Ted Cruz from the United States Senate, and in 2020 he tried to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
Beto O'Rourke in Conversation with Evan Smith youtu.be
BlazeTV's Sara Gonzales files police report after being accosted by Beto O'Rourke staffer, 'manhandled' by cop at Democrat's campaign event
BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales said she has filed a police report after being inexplicably attacked by a campaign staffer and "manhandled" by a police officer while attending a town hall event for Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke.
What happened?
In a Twitter post Sunday, the "Unfiltered" host said she was using her phone to film an exchange between O'Rourke and a constituent at the Dallas, Texas, town hall when the staffer tried to pry her phone out of her hands without provocation.
Gonzales added that an officer with the Dallas Police Department then "manhandled" and shoved her, almost causing her to fall down a set of stairs. She added that the officer didn't give her any directive before getting physical.
I will be consulting my attorney and requesting bodycam footage from DPD. There were people recording on their phones all afternoon. The police gave me no directive before manhandling me and almost pushing me down the stairs.\n\nImagine what this man would allow if elected.— Sara Gonzales (@Sara Gonzales) 1646618438
According to Gonzales, several other attendees at the town hall were using their phones to take pictures or record video during the event. A photo of the event tweeted out by O'Rourke's own account backed up her claim.
How is she responding?
Following the incident, Gonzales vowed legal action, saying she would be requesting bodycam footage from Dallas police and speaking with her attorney about potential lawsuits.
On Monday, the conservative host reported that she had filed a request for the bodycam footage and that the request had been received by the department.
Step 1 is done (formal request for bodycam footage). \n\nFiling the police report against the staffer for the battery she committed comes tomorrow as it must be done in person. \n\nI have identified her by name.pic.twitter.com/6EDBxDWH1o— Sara Gonzales (@Sara Gonzales) 1646700682
On Tuesday, Gonzales told TheBlaze she formally filed a police report with the DPD describing the incident of battery committed against her by the campaign staffer. She has identified the staffer in question to authorities but has so far refrained from sharing her identity with the media.
Gonzales has also filed a complaint with the department against the officer who she said attacked her. The department confirmed receipt of the complaint on Tuesday, according to Gonzales.
TheBlaze reached out to the DPD for comment regarding the incident. This article will be updated with the department's response.
Anything else?
In a statement to the Daily Wire, Gonzales said she felt "violated" after the incident.
She said, "There were never any instructions not to film, nor were there signs. In fact, a photo posted on Twitter by Beto’s team shows numerous audience members with their phones up, and video cameras in the back. They also live-streamed the event."
"This was clearly not an event that prohibited video recording," the host noted.
Thanks to everyone who joined us for today\u2019s education town hall!\n\nTogether, we\u2019ll guarantee that this state finally has world-class schools where we fully fund our classrooms and fully support Texas teachers, students, and parents.pic.twitter.com/FtZP7StMog— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1646614346
"I started recording at this public forum, as I had seen many others do, and was immediately attacked by Beto’s staffer, who blocked me and grabbed my phone, trying to pull it out of my hands," she recalled. "As I was attempting to maintain the grip on my phone while it was being pulled from me, a black female Dallas Police officer blindsided me and forcefully grabbed my arms, pushing me away where I nearly tripped down some steps."
"She had given no directive, no instruction, no warning before forcefully putting her hands on me," Gonzales claimed.
"I am not a criminal and had not broken any laws. I’ve never been in an incident like this with law enforcement, and have always been extremely supportive and respectful of them, but this incident affected me very viscerally. The fact that I had to wrestle my private property away from a stranger attempting to take it from me only to be manhandled by the police as if I were a criminal is deeply upsetting," she added.
"Even worse was seeing the crowd of people — presumably the same people who insisted police should stand down and allow criminals to loot stores and burn down buildings – watching this abuse of power happen in total silence. Honestly, it felt like I was in the twilight zone," she concluded.
Texas GOP donor sues Beto O'Rourke for defamation
Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke is being sued for defamation after the gubernatorial candidate criticized an oil pipeline billionaire's donation to his opponent Gov. Greg Abbott, claiming the Republican governor has been "bought off" by energy executives.
Energy Transfer chairman Kelcy Warren is suing O'Rourke over claims the Democrat made about Warren's $1 million donation to Abbott's campaign. The lawsuit was filed in February in rural West Texas, the Associated Press reports.
Essentially, O'Rourke contends that Abbott has insufficiently regulated energy providers in Texas, which he says is one reason Texas' power grid failed after severe winter storms rocked the state last year. He's accused the two-term GOP governor of being soft on energy companies and has cited Warren's donation as an example of how energy executives have "bought off" the governor.
Warren's company, Energy Transfer, reported $6.7 billion in net income for 2021, including about $2.4 billion revenue earned after the February 2021 storm caused natural gas prices to surge. The AP reports that four months after this earnings report, Warren gave Abbott's campaign $1 million, his largest political campaign contribution in decades.
O'Rourke contends that Abbott purposely mishandled the power grid crisis so that energy companies could increase their profits.
"Abbott put their profits over our lives. Why? Because they bought him off," the Democratic challenger tweeted in January.
Gas supply companies made $11B when the grid failed. \n\nAbbott put their profits over our lives. \n\nWhy? Because they bought him off.\n\nLooks like they\u2019re trying to do it again.\n\nWe\u2019ve got to make a change in Texas.https://twitter.com/TexasTribune/status/1483992189063634944\u00a0\u2026— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1642693577
During at least one campaign stop, O'Rourke specifically mentioned Warren's $1 million donation to Abbott and said the contribution "looks like a bribe to me," according to the AP.
The energy executive's lawsuit says O'Rourke's claim is defamatory.
“O’Rourke intended that his malicious and baseless defamatory statements publicly humiliate Warren and discourage others from contributing to Governor Abbott’s campaign,” the lawsuit reads.
In a statement, Energy Transfer said O'Rourke's comments are "flat-out false." A spokeswoman for Abbott told the AP their campaign "is in no way involved in this lawsuit."
On Monday, O'Rourke told reporters in Dallas the lawsuit is frivolous. He said Warren's defamation allegations are an attempt to "use his billions of dollars to try to shut me down and shut us up from telling the story of what happened to the people of Texas.”
“We’re on the most solid ground possible,” O'Rourke said, walking reporters through the storm and criticizing Abbott's actions in its aftermath.
“All I have done today and all I have done over the course of the campaign is share these facts," he said, arguing, "When we connect the dots and follow the money, we see that Greg Abbott has put profits over people.”
After O'Rourke's press conference, Energy Transfer spokeswoman Vicki Granado released this statement: "Mr. O’Rourke’s statements are flat-out false, and they appear to have been made for political gain in a desperate attempt to overcome what appears to be a weakening campaign to unseat Governor Abbott."
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@Glenn Beck SLAMS Beto O'Rourke's DISGUSTING Campaign Stunt in Uvalde