AG’s affair explains illegal acts, former aide testifies
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An extramarital affair Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had with a donor’s employee helped connect the dots about why the Republican was using his power in ways that are now at the center of his impeachment trial on accusations of corruption, a former top aide testified Wednesday.
“It answered that ‘why’ question,” said Jeff Mateer, who was Paxton’s second-in-command at the Texas attorney general’s office.
The account by Mateer, who went on to report Paxton to the FBI in 2020 over accusations of abuse of office, quickly injected Paxton’s acknowledged affair into the historic impeachment trial — the gravest threat to Paxton’s political career after years of criminal charges and alleged scandal.
At the center of the case are accusations that Texas’ top lawyer wrongfully used his power to help Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, one of his political supporters who was under FBI investigation at the time and was arrested this summer on charges of making false statements to banks.
Paxton, who is not required to attend the proceedings in the Texas Senate, was again absent as Mateer took the stand as the first key witness in a trial that could last several weeks. Paxton’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, is not allowed to vote in the trial and watched from her desk while Mateer testified.
More than 100 people have been identified as potential witnesses. They include the woman with whom Paxton had the affair, but it is unclear whether she or others on the list will testify.
In starting with Mateer, Republican impeachment managers are opening their case to remove Paxton with not only one of the closest members of his former inner circle but someone with strong conservative credentials. Mateer, a Christian conservative lawyer, was once nominated by former President Donald Trump for a federal judgeship.
Paxton’s fate is in the hands of Republican senators who are serving as the jury. The three-term incumbent has argued that the impeachment is politically motivated and driven by members of the GOP who are “RINOs” — meaning “Republicans in name only.”
The Republican-led House voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton in May, with the 20 articles of impeachment. The vote immediately suspended Paxton.
How much Paxton himself will take part in the trial is up in the air.