Paxton won’t divulge full cost
Taxpayers cover at least $12,000 in his failed Supreme Court case
Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which was summarily denied by the U.S. Supreme Court, will cost state taxpayers at least $12,000 for printing charges, but Paxton's office is refusing to provide a full accounting, saying that information is exempt from disclosure.
The suit, which 17 states with Republican attorneys general had joined and 126 Republican members of Congress supported, had sought to throw out election results in four battleground states. It claimed that pandemic-related election rule changes that were adopted by governors or other officials without the approval of state legislatures were unconstitutional. Paxton's suit also made unsupported allegations of voter fraud. The case was promptly dismissed by the high court, which said Texas lacked standing to bring the suit.
Hearst Newspapers requested the cost information in early December, as did state Rep. Chris Turner, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, the Fort Worth Star-telegram and a member of the public. The requests also asked for communications between the office and the Trump administration, the Trump legal team and any other affiliates.
It's unclear what other costs might be associated with the case, in which the state was represented pro bono by special counsels Lawrence Joseph and Kurt Olsen.
The attorney general's office, in a response to the public records requests on Monday, said that it is seeking a ruling from Paxton's open government division on whether some of the records are required to be disclosed under the Texas Public Information Act.
Turner blasted Paxton for using public funds in an attempt to “overturn a free and fair election.”
“Through an incomplete response to my public information request, we have so far learned that the taxpayers of Texas are on the hook for about $12,000 in printing costs for a bogus lawsuit that was dismissed out of hand by the U.S. Supreme Court. In reality though, the price paid by Texas and America is far greater,” Turner said. “Ken Paxton's lawsuit was an assault on our democracy, plain and simple.”