Embattled state officials Ken Paxton and Sid Miller get a warm welcome.
Accusations against Paxton, Miller are ‘just the Democrats’
DALLAS — Two of the top Republican officials in Texas government are in legal trouble, but you would not have known it by walking around the party’s biennial state convention last week.
Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller both received warm embraces during the weeklong gathering here. Both officials kept a low profile but earned applause during back-to-back speeches and praise from at- tendees, who largely dismissed the accusations facing both men as politically motivated.
“It’s a bunch of baloney,” said Jerry Smith, 75, a Crowley manufacturer and convention delegate. “We’ve seen this before —(former Texas Gov. Rick) Perry, (former U.S. House Speaker Tom) DeLay. It’s just the Democrats attacking people they don’t like.”
Smith and a dozen other delegates said they were confident Paxton would be cleared of the felony securities fraud indictments against him, which were handed up last summer. Some cited the case of Perry, whose abuse-of-power indictment was dismissed by a state appeals
court in February.
Paxton currently trying to get another state appeals court to dismiss the indictments against him — and attended a court hearing on that attempt just blocks away from the convention Thursday.
He also has been sued by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission over the same allegations, that he recruited investors to a Collin County technology startup without revealing he was being compensated by the company.
He has denied any wrongdoing and has predicated he would be cleared.
“If he’s is convicted, that’s a different story, and he should consider resigning,” said Bryan Fair, a 40-year-old systems support manager from Wise County. “But at this point, it’s just a he said-she said, and it’s probably going to end up just like Perry’s.” ‘Shocked to know’
Few of those interviewed knew about the allegations against Miller, who is being investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety in relation to two out-of-state trips he took last year using taxpayer money that included personal activities.
Several convention attendees said they assumed those accusations were “baloney” too.
Aside from interviews of delegates by reporters, the legal trouble did not come up at the convention, which mostly centered on the ongoing presidential election.
Little attention at all was paid to Miller, who did not even have a booth in the convention’s exhibition hall, though plenty of lower-level officeholders like State Board of Education member Geraldine Miller did.
Paxton had a booth and hosted a faith gathering Saturday morning, but he did not appear elsewhere.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, on the other hand, spoke twice on the convention’s main stage for more than an hour combined Thursday, and also held two separate news conferences in addition to an ice cream social.
Neither Paxton nor Miller mentioned their legal troubles in their Saturday speeches, which were 10 minutes apiece.
Paxton used his time to brag about lawsuits he has filed against the federal government, including four challenges regarding environmental regulations and one concerning President Barack Obama’s executive action on illegal immigration.
“Since taking office a little over a year ago, you’ll be shocked to know that I’ve sued the Obama administration 10 times,” he said. “And I want you to know, I’m not even close to being finished.” ‘All-star team’
Miller focused his remarks on what he called the greatest threat to Texas farmers and ranchers — “our out-of-control overreach of the federal government” — and delivered a message to likely Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton —“stay out of our state and leave us the heck alone” — before thanking his family and supporters.
“I’m proud to be part of all-star team of great Texans and Americans leading this great state,” Miller said.