Paxton not accountable, but he is ‘sorry’
Ken Paxton is sorry. Truly sorry.
The attorney general of Texas is so sorry, he feels compelled to apologize to men he may have wronged and to pay them for the harm he may have inflicted on them.
It’s not conscience that is compelling Paxton to apologize. Nor will any of the money be coming from his pocket.
Paxton has reached a mediated settlement with four former employees who filed a whistleblower lawsuit against him. His attorneys and theirs have asked the Texas Supreme Court to defer consideration of the case until finalization of the settlement.
The lawsuit stems from October 2020, when eight of his top deputies accused him of bribery and abuse of office. All of them resigned or were fired.
This led to an FBI investigation and to four of the ex-staffers filing suit, accusing Paxton of retaliating against them. Paxton called them “rogue employees.”
Under the settlement, Paxton agreed to apologize and pay the four plaintiffs $3.3 million. Paxton says he now understands that his former employees acted in a way “they thought was right and apologizes for referring to them as ‘rogue employees.’ ”
His office also agreed to remove that description from the attorney general’s website.
In a statement, Paxton said, “After over two years of litigating with four ex-staffers who accused me in October 2020 of ‘potential’ wrongdoing, I have reached a settlement agreement to put this issue to rest. I have chosen this path to save taxpayer dollars and ensure my third term as Attorney General is unburdened by unnecessary distractions. This settlement achieves these goals. I look forward to serving the People of Texas for the next four years free from this unfortunate sideshow.”
Paxton makes this sound as if he’s being magnanimous, wants to go easy on the lads accusing him of “potential” wrongdoing and is doing this for “the People.” Such a noble public servant to relieve us from the burden of his being accused of criminal conduct.
The reality is that Paxton, the ringmaster of this sideshow, has been under indictment for more than seven years for securities fraud, is being sued by the Texas state bar for professional misconduct. The reality is he fled his home last year to avoid being served a subpoena in a federal lawsuit by groups seeking to help Texans receive out-of-state-abortions.
This settlement is the closest Paxton has come to being held accountable for his repeated questionable behavior while serving as Texas’ top law enforcement official. And it still doesn’t remove the two counts of security fraud and one count of failing to register as a securities adviser, which, presumably and eventually, he must answer for in court.
Nor is this settlement finalized. Because the $3.3 million would come from state funds — i.e., taxpayers — it is contingent on approval by the Texas Legislature. The chairman of the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, Republican state Rep. Jeff Leach has rightly expressed concern that “hardworking taxpayers might be on the hook for this settlement between the attorney general and former employees of his office.”
If the settlement is approved and paid for, it will include a statement that neither side admits fault or accepts liability in the case.
Whatever happens, we know and are affirmed that Paxton is sorry. Truly sorry.
Indicted attorney general plays the aggrieved public servant