After a highly contentious battle within the Texas Republican Party over the fate of one of its own, the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxon ended in an acquittal on Saturday, as the Daily Caller reports.
The result brings to an end the effort to remove Paxton from office over allegations of corruption, bribery, and other offenses related to the AG's connection to real estate investor Nate Paul.
House inquiry prompted proceedings
As Fox News recently explained, Paxton's impeachment stemmed from an inquiry launched by the state House Committee on General Investigating earlier in the year after Paxton sought approval of a settlement in a wrongful termination case lodged by a group of his former employees.
Those workers had requested an investigation into Paxton's conduct relative to Paul, someone who had himself been under federal law enforcement scrutiny and on whose behalf the former employees believed the attorney general had improperly intervened.
According to the impeachment articles, that wrongful termination settlement was designed to help Paxton thwart the revelation of certain facts about his own conduct, including allegations that he pressured Paul to hire a woman with whom the AG was involved in an extramarital affair.
Acquittal achieved
Having denied the claims against him and pledging to fight the impeachment all the way, Paxton secured acquittal on the first ten articles of impeachment and then also on articles 15-20, as the Daily Caller noted.
Four other articles were subsequently dismissed after the initial acquittals were recorded.
Angela Paxton, the AG's wife, who is also a Republican state senator, was required to attend the impeachment proceedings in person, though she was not allowed to cast votes on her husband's fate.
Reactions pour in
Not surprisingly, Saturday's outcome prompted a range of reactions from both sides of the political aisle, with Democrat Ann Johnson, vice chair of the House General Investigating Committee lamenting, as CBS News noted, “Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in the state of Texas at this time and the Republicans in the Senate returned him to the job of top cop.”
Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan -- who spearheaded the attempt to oust the AG -- blasted the Senate for acquitting Paxton even in the face of what he called “extensive evidence of...corruption, deception and self-dealing.”
Expressing a contrary opinion on the result was former President Donald Trump, who took to Truth Social to write, “Congratulations to Attorney General Ken Paxton on a great and historic Texas sized VICTORY,” while also stating his belief that it is “time that Speaker Dade Phelan resign after pushing this Disgraceful Sham!”
Speaking on his own behalf, Paxton declared, “Today, the truth prevailed. The truth could not be buried by mudslinging politicians or their powerful benefactors. I've said many times: Seek the truth! And that is what was accomplished,” but whether the deep rifts that were opened during the ordeal can be mended anytime soon remains an open question.
