Texas governor appoints John Scott as interim legal professional normal after Paxton impeached

AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday picked a longtime ally who oversaw Texas’ elections in 2022 to briefly function legal professional normal following Republican Ken Paxton’s historic impeachment on allegations of misconduct and crimes.

John Scott, who stepped down as Texas Secretary of State final 12 months, takes over because the state’s prime lawyer on an interim foundation whereas Paxton awaits a trial within the state Senate that would end in his everlasting elimination. The trial is ready to start no later than Aug. 28.

Paxton was impeached final weekend by the Texas House of Representatives, triggering his quick suspension from workplace.

Abbott has stored silent about Paxton within the week since House Republicans started impeachment proceedings. The governor introduced Scott’s appointment in a press release that didn’t point out Paxton or touch upon the accusations towards him.

“John Scott has the background and experience needed to step in as a short-term interim Attorney General during the time the Attorney General has been suspended from duty,” Abbott stated.

Scott has been a trusted hand of Abbott’s for greater than a decade. He served as a state litigator when Abbott was legal professional normal, and when Abbott’s decide for secretary of state in 2019 was derailed after a bungled evaluation of voter rolls, the governor turned to Scott as an alternative.

At the time, the appointment alarmed voting rights teams over Scott’s transient stint as a member of President Donald Trump’s authorized group that challenged the 2020 election outcomes. Scott withdrew from the case after just a few days and has stated he doesn’t dispute that President Joe Biden gained the election.

Paxton weathered years of scandal and maintained his get together’s assist to win three statewide legal professional normal’s races earlier than the vote within the Republican-controlled House abruptly swept him from energy.

The vote got here after a monthslong House investigation into the legal professional normal that resulted in 20 fees alleging sweeping abuses of energy, together with obstruction of justice, bribery and abuse of public belief.

Paxton has criticized the impeachment as an try and “overthrow the will of the people and disenfranchise the voters of our state.” He has stated the costs are primarily based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims.”

Texas’ senators will function “jurors” in Paxton’s upcoming trial – certainly one of whom could possibly be his spouse, state Sen. Angela Paxton, who has not stated whether or not she is going to take part within the proceedings.