High-profile Texas lawyers brought on to lead Texas AG Ken Paxton impeachment

AUSTIN, Texas – The House has tapped two high-profile lawyers to make the case to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton in a Senate trial this summer.

Dick Deguerin and

Rusty Hardin will prosecute the case against Paxton, a third-term Republican impeached for alleged bribery, abuse of office and other misdeeds. The trial, in which the senators will serve as jurors and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as the judge, will begin sometime this summer.

The choice to bring on heavy hitters like Deguerin and Hardin, who have more than

100 years of experience between them, underlines the seriousness with which the matter is being taken. The two Houston-based lawyers have been involved in some of the most storied legal fights in recent Texas history, including the Enron scandal, the Waco standoff and the Tom Delay corruption cases.

They will present the case on behalf of the board of managers, which is made up of 12 House lawmakers and chaired by GOP Rep. Andrew Murr.

“The facts in this case are overwhelming and conclusive,” Murr said at a news conference in the state Capitol on Thursday. “I have full confidence in these two esteemed attorneys to present those facts fairly and to help the people of Texas see the seriousness and the magnitude of Mr. Paxton’s abuses of power.”

Murr declined to answer questions, including about the cost to hire the pair.

Paxton has not yet named his defense team, although six staffers from the attorney general’s office are on leave from the agency to help. The attorney general was suspended from the job after the impeachment vote and is not being paid while he awaits trial.

Deguerin, 82, represented David Koresh during his 1993 standoff with federal authorities at the Mount Carmel compound in Waco. He also defended former Republican Party House Majority Leader Delay against allegations that he broke campaign finance laws to help state-level GOP candidates in 2002.

Delay was convicted but prevailed on appeal.

“The people of the state of Texas are entitled to know whether their top cop is a crook,” Deguerin said. “We intend to present these 20 articles of impeachment in a fair way.”