Search Articles
AUSTIN, Texas (CN) — On the eve of the Texas House of Representatives’ vote to impeach him, Attorney General Ken Paxton called the investigation and impeachment resolution against him unjust and unethical at a press conference Friday afternoon.
“Every politician who supports this deceitful impeachment attempt will inflict lasting damage on the credibility of the Texas House which I served in,” said Paxton, a Republican.
After a brief statement, the attorney general left the podium to Chris Hilton, his office’s chief of general litigation, ostensibly to take questions from reporters. Hilton claimed that the evidence against Paxton has been debunked and found meritless, before also leaving without taking questions.
Earlier this week, the Texas House General Investigating Committee heard testimony from investigators it hired to look into Paxton’s alleged crimes, including bribery, abuse of office, misuse of public resources and violations under state law. On Thursday, the committee, which is comprised of three Republicans and two Democrats, voted unanimously to recommend the impeachment of the attorney general.
Paxton and his allies assert that impeachment of a public official is unlawful under state government code 665.081, which states that an officer may not be removed from office for a crime committed before their entrance into office.
“This is an undemocratic and morally reprehensible attempt to overturn the will of millions of Texas voters,” Hilton told reporters. “It is not too late for the House to do the right thing and to reject this illegal impeachment that violates Texas law…”
The allegations outlined in the articles of impeachment span Paxton’s tenure as the state’s top lawyer.
Beginning in 2015, Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges, stemming from his sale of the stock of a Dallas-area software company while he was a member of the Texas House. Despite the indictment being eight years old, the criminal case has been stuck in procedural wrangling and a trial date has yet to be set.
In 2020, members of Paxton’s staff reached out to the FBI, accusing their boss of improperly using his office to benefit his friend and campaign contributor, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul.
The whistleblowers claimed that after agents with the FBI and Texas State Securities Board raided the offices of Paul’s company World Class Holdings, his Austin home and storage facilities in August 2019, Paxton had pressured them to give Paul’s lawyers state records about the raids. Additionally, the former staff members accused Paxton of accepting bribes from Paul in the form of home renovations and a job for a woman Paxton was having an affair with. The whistleblowers went on to file a lawsuit against Paxton, claiming that he retaliated against them.
Then, in Febuary of this year, Paxton agreed to apologize to the employees and pay $3.3 million as part of a settlement. However, the settlement must get final approval from the Legislature, being that the agreed dollar amount would be paid out using state funds.
It was then that the House Committee on General Investigating began its own inquiry into the settlement and allegations. The committee hired a five-member team in March to look into the settlement and allegations against Paxton. During their investigation, the team interviewed 15 employees at the attorney general’s office as well as the whistleblowers who sounded alarms in 2020.
On Wednesday, the investigators told the committee that the allegations against Paxton were true based on evidence and testimony they received. The next day, a House resolution containing the 20 articles of impeachment and a recommendation that Paxton be removed from office was filed by the committee.
Paxton has claimed his innocence and characterized the committee’s investigation into him as politically driven. A statement posted to social media by the attorney general referred to the allegation against him as “hearsay and gossip” and his fellow Republicans in the House Investigating Committee who voted against him as RINOs, or Republican In Name Only.
The Legislature has only impeached two officials in its history: Governor James Ferguson in 1917 and Duval County District Judge O.P. Carrillo in 1975, according to the Texas Tribune.
But the controversy has exposed fissures among the state’s GOP leaders.
The drama at the Texas Capitol amped up Tuesday, days before the May 29 end of the Legislature’s biennial regular session, when Paxton accused House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, of presiding over the House while drunk and asked him to resign.
On Tuesday night, Phelan revealed a House committee had been investigating Paxton and was set to hold a hearing on its findings Wednesday. Phelan’s communications director said in a statement Paxton was making a “last ditch effort to save face.”
The Texas House, where Republicans hold an 85-64 majority, is expected to take up the impeachment resolution on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
If impeached, Paxton will be removed from office immediately, pending a trial in the Senate.
Paxton’s wife Angela has served as a member of the Texas Senate since 2019.
“I hope the House makes the right decision, but if not, I look forward to a quick resolution in the Texas Senate,” said Paxton during the Friday press conference.
Follow @KirkMcDanie1Subscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.