TEXAS LAWMAKERS ISSUE 20 ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST KEN PAXTON
Attorney general accused of bribery, abuse of public trust
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton teetered on the brink of impeachment Thursday after years of scandal, criminal charges and corruption accusations that the state’s Republican majority had largely met with silence until now.
In an unanimous decision, a Republican-led House investigative committee recommended impeaching the state’s top lawyer on 20 articles, including bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust.
The House could vote on the recommendation as soon as today. If it impeaches Paxton, he would be forced to leave office immediately.
The move sets set up
what could be a remarkably sudden downfall for one of the GOP’s most prominent legal combatants, who in 2020 asked the U.S. Supreme
Court to overturn Joe Biden’s victory. Only two officials in Texas history have been impeached.
Paxton has been under
FBI investigation for years over accusations that he used his office to help a donor and was separately indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, but has yet to stand trial.
When the five-member committee’s investigation came to light Tuesday, Paxton suggested it was a political attack by the House’s “liberal” Republican speaker, Dade Phelan. He called for Phelan’s resignation and accused him of being drunk during a marathon session last Friday. Phelan’s office has brushed off the accusation as Paxton attempting to “save face.”
“It’s a sad day for Texas as we witness the corrupt political establishment unite in this illegitimate attempt to overthrow the will of the people and disenfranchise the voters of our state,” Paxton said in a statement Thursday, calling the committee’s findings “hearsay and gossip, parroting longdisproven claims.”
By moving against him, Paxton said, “The RINOs in the Texas Legislature are now on the same side as Joe Biden.”
Impeachment requires a majority vote of the House chamber, which Republicans control 85-64. A GOP representative resigned ahead of an expected vote to expel him over the finding that he had inappropriate sexual conduct with an intern.
It’s unclear how many supporters Paxton may have in the House. Since the prospect of impeachment suddenly emerged Wednesday, none of Texas’ other top Republicans have voiced support for Paxton.
The articles of impeachment issued by the investigative committees, which include three Republicans and two Democrats, stem largely from Paxton’s relationship with one of his wealthy donors. The 20 counts deal heavily with Paxton’s alleged efforts to protect the donor from a FBI investigation and his own attempts to thwart whistleblower complaints brought by his own staff.
The timing of a vote by the House also is unclear. Rep. Andrew Murr, the Republican chair of the investigative committee, said he did not have a timeline.
Impeachment in Texas requires immediate removal from office until a trial is held in the Senate. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott could appoint an interim replacement. Final removal would require two-thirds support in the Senate, where Paxton’s wife’s, Angela, is a member.