STUNNING: Texas AG Ken Paxton loses support of GOP lawmakers
In a stunning turn of events, the Texas House just recommended impeachment for the Trumpiest AG over a corruption scandal involving a real estate developer.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is serving his third term of office, despite facing a 2015 criminal securities fraud indictment for a 2011 business deal.
That didn’t bother Republicans.
But when Paxton, who cemented his status as the Trumpiest AG in our country with his lawsuit to overturn the 2020 election (which he lost), tried to get the Texas legislature to foot the bill for a multi-million dollar settlement by whistleblowers in his office, even GOP lawmakers decided they’ve had enough.
This afternoon, a 5-member Texas House General Investigating Committee voted to recommend impeachment against the Texas AG after a single hearing yesterday. The Texas Tribune reports:
During a specially called meeting Thursday afternoon, the House General Investigating Committee voted unanimously to refer articles of impeachment to the full chamber. The House will next decide whether to approve the articles against Paxton, which could lead to the attorney general’s removal from office pending the outcome of a trial to be conducted by the Senate.
Only two officials have been impeached and removed since Texas adopted its 1876 constitution.
However, this committee’s last major act was to recommend the expulsion of a Republican member.
The Texas House unanimously approved that recommendation just over two weeks ago to expel Bryan Slaton for sexual misconduct.
Naturally, Paxton responded in MAGA-style on Twitter by writing, “Overturning elections begins behind closed doors.” His representative previewed the beleaguered Republican AG’s defense by citing a state law that says, “An officer in this state may not be removed from office for an act the officer may have committed before the officer’s election to office.”
However, most of the acts cited by the Texas House panel commenced while Ken Paxton was in office.
Specifically, the Republican-led committee brought up the $3.3 million payment to settle a whistleblower’s lawsuit by four high-ranking deputies to the AG at yesterday’s committee hearing.
They detailed how their Trumpiest AG spent $72,000 having state officials work for a real estate developer, to provide an internal FBI file to said developer, and even hiring an outside lawyer for his developer buddy at the cost of $25,000.
Their lead counsel Erin Epley painted a picture so grim even the GOP-led committee couldn’t ignore it, according to the Tribune:
“Each of these four men is a conservative Republican civil servant,” Epley said. “Interviews show that they wanted to be loyal to General Paxton and they tried to advise him well, often and strongly, and when that failed each was fired after reporting General Paxton to law enforcement.”
Finally, the Texas legislators indicated that they realized after he asked for them to authorize paying for the settlement that it would immunize Paxton from investigations into his official misconduct, and they balked.
But they only told the public about their investigation on Tuesday, two days ago.
Federal investigators have been looking into the same conduct since 2020.
Now, the Texas Republican AG Paxton, who spoke at the twice impeached ex-President’s January 6th rally which preceded the Capitol insurrection, could soon find himself suspended from office pending a state Senate trial.
