In a dramatic flurry of events, Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, has been impeached. The decision was publicized on May 27 when the Texas House of Representatives voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton.
Many would say that the corrupt politician had it long coming. The list of articles he was impeached on is unsurprisingly long, and the counts include bribery, abuse of public trust, position of power, and many more.
Charges against Paxton had been piling up since 2015, when he took office. His attempt to settle the whistleblower lawsuit with $3.3 million of taxpayers’ money is what crossed the line. The long, drawn-out drama has now ended. Despite Paxton’s attempt to call the impeachment an “ugly spectacle in the Texas House,” the decision is permanent and irreversible.
As the world is slowly finding out about the ugly side of Paxton, you are bound to have questions. In this article, we will try to answer all your queries on the recent impeachment.
What Did Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, Do?
The charges against Ken Paxton go back to 2015, but here are the significant points and timeline that you need to know about his crimes:
- In 2015, he was blamed for security fraud charges which passed without trial. He is accused of duping some investors in a tech startup. He opened a legal defense fund where he accepted $100,000 from the executive of a company under Medicaid fraud investigation.
- Paxton hired the son of a $50,000 donor to his fund, who ended up getting fired for showing child pornography in a meeting.
- In 2020, Paxton’s aides told the FBI that Paxton was helping Nate Paul, a wealthy donor who was in trouble with a real estate empire. Paul had even hired a woman on Paxton’s recommendation who the latter had an affair with. The eight aides who had launched the complaint got fired or quit and later sued under the Texas whistleblower law.
- In February 2023, Paxton wanted to settle the whistleblower lawsuit for $3.3 million paid straight from taxpayers’ pockets. It required legislative approval, and it alerted the Justice Department officials who took over the investigation.
What Are the Articles of Impeachment Filed Against Ken Paxton?
Ken Paxton was impeached over a whopping 20 articles that accused the Attorney General of a full range of criminal offenses. All of these articles were summed up as “grave offenses” by Andrew Murr, who is leading the House General Investigating Committee.
Some of the articles are:
- Disregarding Official Duty: Paxton directed employees to intervene in a lawsuit between Mitte Foundation (a non-profit) and Nate Paul. He harmed the organization in an attempt to help Paul. He misused his powers to issue legal opinions to help his friend’s businesses and concealed his actions.
He administered public information laws to obtain undisclosed information to benefit Paul. Paxton hired an outside attorney by violating laws to investigate a “baseless complaint” made by Nate.
Paxton violated his duty by firing employees, which was in violation of the Texas Whistleblower Act “protects public employees who make good faith reports of violations of law by their employer to an appropriate law enforcement authority.”
The biggest misuse was when he tried to conceal his association with the whistleblower lawsuit by paying $3.3 million from public funds.
- Misapplication of Public Resources: The Attorney General misused public resources by conducting a “sham investigation” into the complaints made by his aides. He caused employees to perform services for his benefit, which amounted to at least $72,000 in taxpayer-funded labor.
- Constitutional Bribery: Paul’s decision to hire a woman Paxton had an affair which violates Article 16 in the Texas Constitution. Paul provided renovations to Patpn’s home in return for legal help.
- Obstruction of Justice: Paxton failed to disclose McKinney tech company was paying him to round up investors and caused protracted delays when he was indicted for securities fraud.
- Falsified Statements on Official Records: Paxton made false statements both before and after holding office about his failure to register as an investment adviser. He made false statements about his personal finances on disclosure forms. He made false and misleading statements in the whistleblower’s case to misguide the public as well as officials.
- Abuse of Public Trust by associating his office with “into scandal and disrepute,” thus bringing down public favorability.
Who Voted for Impeachment of Paxton?
The vote for the impeachment of Ken Paxton occurred this Saturday, May 27, 2023. The decision was reached by an overwhelming majority as most Democrats and Republicans voted against the Attorney General.
The votes resulted in 121-23, and the majority supported the impeachment. Two members out of the 149 were present but did not vote. Paxton has been temporarily removed from his office and is pending trial in the Senate.
However, one of the Senators is his wife, Angela Paxton, the same woman who he cheated on. It is still being determined whether Angela will take part in the voting or not. Paxton commented, “I look forward to a quick resolution in the Texas Senate, where I have full confidence the process will be fair and just.”
It will take two-thirds of the Senate vote to remove Paxton from his office.
How Does Impeachment Work in Texas?
According to the Texas Consitution, the impeachment process begins in the Texas House of Representatives. A majority vote is needed in favor of the impeachment. Articles of impeachment must be brought forth as per the Texas code.
If the House sanctions the impeachment as a majority votes against the official, the Texas Senate meets as a court of impeachment and trials the accused individual. It takes two-thirds of the Senate to be present and vote to remove the official.
Only two other public officials have been impeached in Texas besides Ken Paxton. Texas Gov. James E. Ferguson was impeached in 1917. A district judge, O.P. Carrilo, was impeached in 1976 for evading income tax and committing tax fraud.
Well, What are your thoughts on the whole impeachment thing? Let us know it all in the comments below.
