Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has faced an array of well-established allegations of misconduct — and now he has paid a humiliating and politically devastating price.
Early Saturday evening, the Texas State House impeached A.G. Paxton with an overwhelming vote, as The Texas Monthly reported:
“Defying a last-minute appeal by former President Donald Trump, the Texas House voted overwhelmingly Saturday to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, temporarily removing him from office over allegations of misconduct that included bribery and abuse of office.”
“The vote to adopt the 20 articles of impeachment was 121-23.”
The matter now goes to the Texas State Senate for trial. Additionally, while awaiting trial in the Senate, Paxton has been removed from his duties which amounts to a suspension pending all final proceedings (including possible court challenges).
Several late attempts to save himself may have actually sealed Paxton’s fate.
Without elaborating or providing specific details, GOP Rep. Charlie Geren, a Republican on the investigative committee, told the state House that the Texas A.G. had called lawmakers Friday night and threatened them with political “consequences.”
The tweet below includes a video of the accusation.
Breaking: During Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Impeachment vote, Republican Rep. Charlie Geren stood up and said that Paxton is threatening several members of the Texas House of Representatives with consequences if they vote in support of his impeachment.
Paxton… pic.twitter.com/CjOQwu4a9k
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) May 27, 2023
As the articles of impeachment were laid out, some lawmakers shook their heads. No one spiked the ball, according to The Texas Monthly report.
“Today is a very grim and difficult day for this House and for the state of Texas,” Representative David Spiller, R-Jacksboro, a committee member, told House members.
The Texas A.G. was ultimately impeached on charges of bribery, abuse of public trust, and lack of fitness for public office.
According to NBC News, Paxton attempted to interfere in foreclosure lawsuits and issued legal opinions to benefit a friend and faced bribery charges when that friend employed a woman with whom Paxton had an affair — all in exchange for legal help.
The allegations also included the fact that Paxton allegedly received expensive home renovations in exchange for legal help.
The beleaguered attorney general had responded by saying the impeachment proceedings were “political theater” and based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims,” according to the report.
In what has become MAGA dogma, Paxton also said impeaching him was an effort to disenfranchise the voters who reelected him in November.
Even Donald Trump tried to save one of his favorite A.G.s by posting on Truth Social:
“The RINO Speaker of the House of Texas, Dade Phelan, who is barely a Republican at all and failed the test on voter integrity, wants to impeach one of the most hard working and effective Attorney Generals in the United States, Ken Paxton, who just won re-election with a large number of American Patriots strongly voting for him. You would think that any issue would have been fully adjudicated by the voters of Texas, especially when that vote was so conclusive….”
Trump apparently had no concerns about what Paxton actually did. Paxton was a Trump guy. Trump guys can do very bad things and still be “good guys.”
Trump continued:
“….I love Texas, won it twice in landslides, and watched as many other friends, including Ken Paxton, came along with me. Hopefully Republicans in the Texas House will agree that this is a very unfair process that should not be allowed to happen or proceed—I will fight you if it does. It is the Radical Left Democrats, RINOS, and Criminals that never stop. ELECTION INTERFERENCE! Free Ken Paxton, let them wait for the next election!”
Paxton still has his supporters as Market Watch reported:
“’This is a coup,’ said Kathie Glass of Houston, who waited in line for an hour to secure a seat. Dimitri Nichols, of Austin, said: ‘Texas voters were aware of these allegations.’”
The Texas Attorney General built up some goodwill within the MAGA base due to the lawsuit he filed on behalf of Donald Trump after the 2020 election.
But it did not do him any good on Saturday.
Now Paxton heads to trial in the Senate. No date or time has been set at the time of publication.
But one can bet that Paxton will fight viciously.
And if one likes to bet, the odds are that he will lose again.
I can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com and on Twitter @JasonMiciak.
Editor’s note: This is an opinion column that solely reflects the opinions of the author.