Ken Paxton has been under investigation for close to a decade, but his career has never faced any serious repercussion. That changed dramatically yesterday evening.
Attorney Generalhas been under investigation for felony crimes for close to a decade, but his political career has never faced any serious repercussion. That changed dramatically on Tuesday evening, May 23, with the sudden revelation that the Texas House of Representatives has been secretly investigating Paxton since March.
House Speakerannounced that the House Special Investigating Committee would hear public testimony against Paxton. That testimony began Wednesday morning at 8am and it was bombshell material. According to reporting by theand other outlets, four investigators with the committee told members they believed Paxton had broken state law multiple times and used state funds to benefit at least one friend and political donor.that Paxton is asking taxpayers to pay for to end a lawsuit brought against him by four of his former deputies. Those deputies, conservative Republicans who had worked alongside Paxton at the upper echelon of the AG’s office, have claimed they were fired after telling Paxton that he was breaking the law by taking bribes. After their firing, the four launched a whistleblower lawsuit in 2020 accusing Paxton of, chair of the committee, noted that authorizing the payment that Paxton is requesting would keep the details of his alleged misconduct from ever becoming public. “Millions of taxpayer dollars have been asked to remedy what is alleged to be some wrongs,” Murr said. “That’s something we have to grapple with. It’s challenging.”Quorum Report , wrote on Twitter that he believed the investigators’ testimony could push Paxton out of office. “Impeachment of Paxton & Senate trial near certainty after exhaustive testimony,” Kronberg wrote. “Would not be delayed by sine die [the end of the legislative session]. House & Senate can call themselves back in if Governor does not. Does Paxton leave gracefully? Speculation already turns to new AG to be appointed byAs the public portion of the committee meeting concluded around 11am, Paxton released a statement in which he attacked the House speaker as “liberal Speaker Dade Phelan.” “Every allegation is easily disproved,” Paxton stated, “and I look forward to continuing my fight for conservative Texas values.” His shot at Phelan echoed the tone of an attack that Paxton had leveled against the speaker on Tuesday evening, probably in anticipation of the news about the committee meeting. Then, Paxton made reference to a video of Phelan that has recently gone viral, taken after the speaker presided over the House for 14 hours on May 19. In the video, the speaker slurs his words as he conducts House business. “It is with profound disappointment that I call on Speaker Dade Phelan to resign at the end of this legislative session,” Paxton wrote. “Texans were dismayed to witness his performance presiding over the Texas House in a state of apparent debilitating intoxication…. While I hope Speaker Phelan will get the help he needs, he has proven himself unworthy of Texans' trust and incapable of leading the Texas House." Phelan responded that, with the committee meeting set to occur the next morning, Paxton was attempting to"save face."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Calls For House Speaker Dade Phelan's ResignationIn a surprise move, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is calling for House Speaker Dade Phelan's resignation at the end of this legislative session. This request comes as Paxton claims Phelan was presiding over the Texas House in a state of 'apparent debilitating intoxication.' In a statement released by the...
Read more »
Banko Brown: CA attorney general to review case spurned by DA Jenkins“We feel triumphant. We feel hopeful,” said Barbara Brown, Banko Brown’s stepmother. “We won’t stop fighting for justice for Banko Brown.”
Read more »
California Attorney General to Review Banko Brown CaseCalifornia’s attorney general has agreed to determine if San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins made the right decision when deciding to not file charges against the Walgreens security guard involved in the deadly shooting of 24-year-old Banko Brown.
Read more »
Paxton defends drinking accusations against Phelan, House investigators recount alleged misconduct by PaxtonA day after calling for House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign for allegedly drinking on the job, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is defending those claims. Phelan's camp argued that Paxton is using the video as a way to distract from a public hearing on an investigation into the attorney general on Wednesday.
Read more »
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton likely broke laws, Republican investigation findsA Republican-led investigation has accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of committing multiple crimes in office.
Read more »
Investigation reveals years-long alleged misconduct by Texas Attorney General Ken PaxtonMany of the allegations discussed by investigators were already known, but Wednesday’s House panel was the first time investigators spoke on them in a public forum. Paxton is currently under indictment for alleged securities fraud and also faces a separate federal investigation over alleged abuse of office.
Read more »