POLITICS
Texas AG Ken Paxton’s Impeachment Trial Begins Tuesday
Courtesy of @kenpaxtontx via Instagram
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial begins Tuesday in the state Senate, on allegations of corruption, bribery, abuse of public trust and more.
Paxton, who entered office in 2015, is only the third official ever to face impeachment in the state. He is considered to be one of the most conservative state attorneys general in the country, and a close ally of former President Donald Trump.
In December 2020, Paxton filed a lawsuit challenging the presidential election results in several states, including Georgia, where Trump currently faces 13 felony counts related to election interference.
Republicans hold a majority in the Texas House, but just 23 Republicans voted to keep Paxton in office after an impeachment hearing in May. Sixty Republicans joined Democrats in voting for impeachment.
Allegations of corruption are focused on Paxton’s relationship with real estate developer Nate Paul, who has since been indicted in an unrelated case.
Multiple aides working in Paxton’s office came forward in 2020 to allege that Paxton urged employees to take action in legal disputes to benefit Paul’s business interests. They alleged that in return, Paul renovated Paxton’s home and hired a woman with whom Paxton was allegedly having an affair.
Paxton’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, ran to fill his vacant state Senate seat and won. Sen. Paxton and the alleged mistress engaged in a verbal confrontation at one point, according to House impeachment managers, and aides testified there was an “intervention” of sorts at the office about the affair.
Several of Paxton’s aides also filed a lawsuit in 2020 alleging they were fired after reporting what was happening at the attorney general’s office. In February, Paxton’s office settled the lawsuit for $3.3 million, and days later added the settlement amount to the budget, to be paid by taxpayers.
The House General Investigating Committee recommended 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton, but the Senate trial is addressing only 16 of them.
The trial, presided over by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, will have the state’s 31 senators, 19 of whom are Republicans, as jurors. More than 100 people have been called to testify. Paxton has denied the allegations.
TMX contributed to this article.
