Former Democratic Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke’s claim that Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to lift the state’s mask mandate would lead to widespread deaths has come back to haunt him. O’Rourke, a failed senatorial and presidential contender, lambasted Abbott’s decision to pull back the state mask mandate in March, calling it a “death warrant” and claiming that the governor was “killing the people of Texas” by nixing required face coverings.