GOP-controlled Texas House votes to question Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ GOP-led House of Representatives impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday on articles together with bribery and abuse of public belief, a sudden, historic rebuke of a fellow Republican who rose to be a star of the conservative authorized motion regardless of years of scandal and alleged crimes.

The vote triggers Paxton’s rapid suspension from workplace pending the result of a trial within the state Senate and empowers Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to nominate another person as Texas’ high lawyer within the interim.

The vote constitutes an abrupt downfall for one of many GOP’s most outstanding authorized combatants, who in 2020 requested the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn President Joe Biden’s electoral defeat of Donald Trump. It makes Paxton solely the third sitting official in Texas’ almost 200-year historical past to have been impeached.

Paxton, 60, has decried what he known as “political theater” based mostly on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims,” and mentioned it’s an try and disenfranchise voters who reelected him in November. It’s unclear the place the lawyer common was Saturday, however through the House continuing he was sharing statements from supporters on Twitter.

“No one person should be above the law, least not the top law enforcement officer of the state of Texas,” Rep. David Spiller, a Republican member of the committee that investigated Paxton, mentioned in opening statements. Rep. Ann Johnson, a Democratic member, informed lawmakers that Texas’ “top cop is on the take.” Rep. Charlie Geren, a Republican committee member, mentioned with out elaborating that Paxton had known as lawmakers and threatened them with political “consequences.” As the articles of impeachment had been laid out, among the lawmakers shook their heads. They are anticipated to debate impeachment for 4 hours earlier than voting.

Paxton has been beneath FBI investigation for years over accusations that he used his workplace to assist a donor and was individually indicted on securities fraud fees in 2015, although he has but to face trial. Until this week, his fellow Republicans had taken a muted stance on the allegations.

Lawmakers allied with Paxton tried to discredit the investigation by noting that employed investigators, not panel members, interviewed witnesses. They additionally mentioned a number of of the investigators had voted in Democratic primaries, tainting the impeachment, and that they’d too little time to assessment proof.

“I perceive it could be political weaponization,” mentioned Rep. Tony Tinderholt, one of many House’s most conservative members. Republican Rep. John Smithee in contrast the continuing to “a Saturday mob out for an afternoon lynching.”

Impeachment requires only a easy majority within the House. That means solely a small fraction of its 85 Republicans would wish to hitch 64 Democrats in voting in opposition to him.

If impeached, Paxton can be suspended pending a Senate trial, and it will fall to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to nominate an interim alternative. Final removing would require a two-thirds vote within the Senate, the place Paxton’s spouse’s, Angela, is a member.

Texas’ high elected Republicans had been notably quiet about Paxton this week. But on Saturday each Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz got here to his protection, with the senator calling the impeachment course of “a travesty” and saying the lawyer common’s authorized troubles needs to be left to the courts.

“Free Ken Paxton,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, warning that if House Republicans proceeded with the method, “I will fight you.”

Abbott, who lauded Paxton whereas swearing him in for a 3rd time period in January, has remained silent. The governor spoke at a Memorial Day service within the House chamber about three hours earlier than the impeachment proceedings started. Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan additionally attended however the two appeared to alternate few phrases, and Abbott left with out commenting to reporters.

In one sense, Paxton’s political peril arrived with dizzying velocity: The House committee’s investigation got here to gentle Tuesday, and by Thursday lawmakers issued 20 articles of impeachment.

But to Paxton’s detractors, the rebuke was years overdue.

In 2014, he admitted to violating Texas securities legislation, and a 12 months later he was indicted on securities fraud fees in his hometown close to Dallas, accused of defrauding buyers in a tech startup. He pleaded not responsible to 2 felony counts carrying a possible sentence of 5 to 99 years.

He opened a authorized protection fund and accepted $100,000 from an government whose firm was beneath investigation by Paxton’s workplace for Medicaid fraud. An extra $50,000 was donated by an Arizona retiree whose son Paxton later employed to a high-ranking job however was quickly fired after displaying little one pornography in a gathering. In 2020, Paxton intervened in a Colorado mountain group the place a Texas donor and school classmate confronted removing from his lakeside dwelling beneath coronavirus orders.

But what finally unleased the impeachment push was Paxton’s relationship with Austin actual property developer Nate Paul.

In 2020, eight high aides informed the FBI they had been involved Paxton was misusing his workplace to assist Paul over the developer’s unproven claims that an elaborate conspiracy to steal $200 million of his properties was afoot. The FBI searched Paul’s dwelling in 2019, however he has not been charged and denies wrongdoing. Paxton additionally informed employees members he had an affair with a lady who, it later emerged, labored for Paul.

The impeachment accuses Paxton of trying to intervene in foreclosures lawsuits and issuing authorized opinions to profit Paul. Its bribery fees allege that Paul employed the lady with whom Paxton had an affair in alternate for authorized assist and that he paid for costly renovations to the lawyer common’s dwelling.

A senior lawyer for Paxton’s workplace, Chris Hilton, mentioned Friday that the lawyer common paid for all repairs and renovations.

Other fees, together with mendacity to investigators, date again to Paxton’s still-pending securities fraud indictment.

Four of the aides who reported Paxton to the FBI later sued beneath Texas’ whistleblower legislation, and in February he agreed to settle the case for $3.3 million. The House committee mentioned it was Paxton in search of legislative approval for the payout that sparked their probe.