The Republican-dominated Texas House of Representatives has scheduled a vote on the impeachment of the state’s Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, for Saturday at 1 p.m.
The vote is set to come just two days after a Republican-led but bipartisan representative committee proposed impeachment of Mr. Paxton for a variety of possible criminal abuses.
The attorney general has handled a variety of legal challenges over the years, weathering numerous investigations without political repercussions. On Friday, Mr Paxton again denied any wrongdoing and invited supporters to speak out “peacefully” in the impeachment vote at Capitol.
Here are the things to know.
Who is Ken Paxton?
Before becoming attorney general in 2015, Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. served as attorney and state legislator, serving in both the House and Senate. His wife, Angela Paxton, has become a political force of her own and won a seat in the State Senate in 2018.
As the state’s top law enforcement officer, Mr. Paxton has established himself as the social issues advocate that drives Texas conservatives, effectively becoming the main litigator of culture wars. of the state. His tough style has alienated some Republican allies, even as voters remain loyal.
Mr. Paxton was closely associated with — and supported by — former president Donald J. Trump, and he used his office to challenge results of the 2020 election. He has also regularly raised legal challenges to the Biden administration’s actions and has been at the forefront of efforts by Republican-led states to challenge the Bidens’ efforts. president to ease some restrictions on migration at the southern border of the United States.
Voters re-elected Mr Paxton to a third term by a large margin in November.
What accusations prompted the House investigation?
In 2020, several senior staff of Mr. Paxton wrote a letter urged an investigation into their boss’s actions. Aides accused Mr. Paxton of using his office to serve the interests of Nate Paul, a friend of the attorney general and a political donor.
Mr. Paul, a wealthy Austin real estate investor, contacted Mr. Paxton after his home and office were raided by federal agents in 2019. Mr. Paxton took an unusual step. , in the face of employee outcry, was to authorize a state investigation into the actions of the FBI. He appointed an outside attorney claiming to be a special counsel to do so, although House committee investigators say he has no procedural experience. FBI officials did not comment on their investigation.
At the time, Mr Paxton said in a statement that he has “never been motivated by a desire to protect a political sponsor or abuse this position, nor will I.”
In their 2020 letter, Mr Paxton’s aides said he was guilty of bribery, abuse of office and other “probable criminal offenses”. Four of the aides also raised their concerns with the FBI and the Texas Rangers.
According to legal filings in the case, four aides also referred their concerns to the attorney general’s office; A few weeks later, they were all fired. Later, aides filed a lawsuit, alleging Mr. Paxton retaliated against them.
As the case progressed, Mr. Paxton’s office released a report 374 pages long concluded, “AG Paxton committed no crime.” He also challenged the lawsuit, but a Texas appeals court ruled against him. In February, Mr. Paxton agreed to pay $3.3 million in an arrangement with four former senior aides.
How did that lead to impeachment?
Questions about how the settlement was paid have prompted more investigations into the 2020 allegations.
Mr. Paxton asked the Texas Legislature for funds to pay $3.3 million. Dade Phelan, the Republican speaker who is considered a traditional conservative, is not in favor of using state money. A House investigation into the allegations has been initiated to gather information about the funding request, a spokesman for Mr. Phelan said.
Many of the investigators’ findings about Paxton have been made public, from the allegations made in the aides’ lawsuit. But Thursday’s House committee vote delivered the first formal ruling on those charges: Lawmakers said they were enough to start the process of removing Mr. Paxton from office.
What do the articles of impeachment say?
Submission Committee 20 articles of impeachment against Mr. Paxton on Thursday. As they were circulated around the House of Representatives, Andrew Murr, the committee’s chairman and Republican, said they depict “serious offenses”.
The articles charged Mr. Paxton with a range of abuses including accepting bribes, disregarding his official duties, obstructing justice in a separate securities fraud case pending him, testifying. tampering with official documents and reports, and abusing public trust.
The multiple allegations relate to various ways Mr Paxton used his office to benefit Mr Paul, the committee said, and subsequently fired people in the office who spoke out against his actions. grandfather.
The articles also allege Mr. Paxton benefited “from Nate Paul hiring a woman with whom Paxton had an affair,” and of meddling in a lawsuit brought against Paul’s companies by the Roy F. Foundation and Joann Cole Mitte. , an Austin nonprofit group.
What other legal issues is Mr. Paxton facing?
A federal investigation, opened over complaints of corruption and retaliation by aides, has yet to lead to any charges.
But Mr. Paxton was criminally prosecuted for most of his tenure as the state’s attorney general.
In 2015, his first year in that office, Mr. Paxton was charged with a felony involving securities fraud and was held in a county jail outside Dallas. The allegations stem from allegations that Mr Paxton misled investors and customers – such as not telling investors he would pay a commission on their investment – while working for the company. securities in the years before he became attorney general.
He has denied wrongdoing in the case that has yet to go to trial.
Articles of impeachment this week accuse the attorney general of obstruction of justice in that case, alleging that a lawsuit filed by a sponsor of Mr Paxton’s campaign caused the trial to be delayed.
What happens next?
The chairman of the investigative committee Mr Paxton said he intends to bring the impeachment resolution to a vote in the House at 1pm on Saturday.
An impeachment means Mr Paxton will be temporarily removed from office pending a trial on charges in the State Senate, where some of his closest allies, including his wife, will serve as jurors. . Senate proceedings could be delayed until after the regular legislative session, which ends on Monday. The Senate could reconvene to hold the trial later, although the timing is still uncertain.
An attorney from Mr Paxton’s office, Christopher Hilton, has said the committee’s process in setting articles of impeachment was “completely flawed” and that the issues raised were fully raised in the article. Mr. Paxton’s successful re-election campaign last year.
In what appeared to be a preview of a possible legal challenge to the proceedings, Mr. Hilton also said that Texas law only allows impeachment for conduct since the previous election. Most of the charges in the articles of impeachment involve conduct that has occurred before.
Report contributed by Manny Fernandez, Miriam Jordan, Edgar Sandoval And Rick Rojas.
