Ken Paxton Acquitted In Impeachment Trial
Mary Lou Masters on September 16, 2023
The impeachment trial of Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton came to an end Saturday, with the eligible state senators voting not to remove him from office.
The GOP-held state House voted to impeach the attorney general in late May over alleged corruption, bribery, obstruction and other charges related to the FBI’s investigation into real estate developer and Paxton donor, Nate Paul. The senators acting as the jury did not sustain the 16 articles of impeachment, and voted to acquit Paxton, according to the trial livestream.
The senators voted to acquit Paxton on the first ten articles of impeachment, as well as articles 15 – 20, according to the trial livestream. Two-thirds of the 30 eligible senators had to have voted to sustain at least one of the 16 articles in order for Paxton to have been convicted and removed from office.
Paxton pleaded not guilty to the 16 articles on the first day of the trial, and his defense attempted to discredit the prosecution’s arguments through evidence. The impeachment trial centered around testimony from former Paxton staffers, whistleblowers, current employees and other key witnesses.
Paxton’s wife, Angela, a Republican state senator, was not permitted to take part in the vote, but was still required to attend the proceedings. The House originally brought 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton, but the Senate voted that the remaining four were to be deliberated on at a later date, according to The Texas Tribune.
Former President Donald Trump rushed to Paxton’s defense ahead of the verdict on Thursday, which the attorney general touted on social media.
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was easily re-elected last November, but now establishment RINOS are trying to undo that Election with a shameful impeachment of him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Who would replace Paxton, one of the TOUGHEST & BEST Attorney Generals in the Country? Could it be a Democrat, or even worse, a RINO? The voters have decided who they want! Democrats are feeling very good right now as they watch, as usual, the Republicans fight & eat away at each other. It’s a SAD day in the Great State of Texas!”
Paxton served in both chambers of the state legislature before being elected as attorney general in 2014, according to Ballotpedia. The attorney general was reelected in 2018 by 3.6 points and in 2022 by nearly 10 points.
The attorney general announced Wednesday that he will sit down with Daily Caller News Foundation co-founder Tucker Carlson next week for an interview about the impeachment trial.
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