Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been surrounded by controversy virtually most of the last four or five years.
Honestly, I was surprised to see him get the backing of so many politicians knowing full well that he could lose his office over allegation that had been made against him.
Well, that day came this weekend when the Texas House voted to impeach Paxton, reports the Texas Tribune.
You're Out
Because the House passed the measure (and it was not even close, 121-23), Paxton is immediately suspended from his duties pending the outcome of the state Senate hearing.
This latest issue came about because Paxton wanted to dip into state funds to settle a wrongful termination suit being brought by a whistleblower. Paxton had requested $3.3 million to settle the suit.
Paxton has plenty of enemies on both sides of the aisle, so that request led to in investigation, which resulted in this impeachment.
The report stated, "Over the course of several months, the Committee and staff set out to determine if payment of the settlement was warranted because of the lack of discovery in the litigation and because Paxton and his office were not forthcoming about his conduct regarding the whistleblower's good faith reports of his violations of his constitutional and statutory duties," reports Fox News.
While Governor Abbott has been silent during the proceedings, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) did defend him.
Cruz stated, "For the last nine years, Ken has been the strongest conservative AG in the country. Bar none. No attorney general has battled the abuses of the Biden admin more ferociously—and more effectively—than has Paxton.
"That's why the swamp in Austin wants him out. The special interests don't want a steadfast conservative AG. I understand that people are concerned about Ken's legal challenges. But the courts should sort them out."
Paxton also issued a statement on Twitter…
I am beyond grateful to have the support of millions of Texans who recognize that what we just witnessed is illegal, unethical, and profoundly unjust. I look forward to a quick resolution in the Texas Senate, where I have full confidence the process will be fair and just. pic.twitter.com/fEiAroA2DW
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) May 27, 2023
Because Paxton is not well liked in the State House, there are all kinds of allegations being made about a rushed, politicized investigation to take him out, and these allegations are not just coming from Paxton, who claimed the impeachment was "political theater" based on "hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims."
For Paxton to be ousted, they will need a two-thirds majority in the Senate to carry out the impeachment.
Until that issue has been resolved, Governor Abbott will have to appoint an acting Attorney General to resume Paxton's fight against the Biden administration, as he was leading several lawsuits to push back against Biden's overreach.
