Impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton
Imeachment Documents
Under the Texas Constitution, the House of Representatives is vested with the power of impeachment and the Senate has the duty to conduct the trial (Article XV, Sections 1 and 2).
On May 27, 2023, the House of Representatives adopted 20 Articles of Impeachment against Warren Kenneth Paxton, Jr., Attorney General of the State of Texas (H.R. No. 2377, 88th Legislature, Regular Session).
On May 29, the final day of the 88th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, the House Board of Managers delivered the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. The House Board of Managers are Representatives Murr, chair; A. Johnson, vice chair; Geren; Moody; Canales; Leach; Longoria; Meyer; Cain; Vasut; Spiller; and Gamez.
The Senate will convene on September 5, 2023, as a high court of impeachment to consider the Articles of Impeachment (S.R. No. 36, 88th Legislature, 1st Called Session).
Click on the link below for access to the resolutions adopted by the legislature and other documents related to the impeachment of Kenneth Paxton.
Impeachment Updates
Texas GOP leadership nearly unanimously calls on Speaker Phelan to resign
By By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor,
In a nearly unanimous vote, the leaders of the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) approved a resolution Saturday calling on the speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, to resign.
At a quarterly meeting held in Corpus Christi, members of the RPT’s Senate Republican Executive Committee (SREC) voted 58-2 to approve a resolution condemning Phelan for pushing through a rushed impeachment vote of Attorney General Ken Paxton – and pressuring members to vote for it – as well as voting for it himself. The resolution also condemns him for appointing Democrats to chair key committees who blocked conservative bills.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Acquitted on Impeachment Charges
After beginning deliberation yesterday, the Texas Senate voted on Saturday to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton on all charges.
While 21 votes, or two-thirds, were required to convict and remove Paxton from office on any single charge, none received a majority vote.
The only Republicans to join Democrats in voting for most of the impeachment charges were State Sen. Kelly Hancock (North Richland Hills) and Robert Nichols(Jacksonville).
The vote was a stark difference to the House’s impeachment vote in May, which passed 121-23, on 20 charges of misapplication of public resources, bribery, obstruction of justice, abuse of public trust, and disregard of official duties.
State Reps. Andrew Murr (R–Junction), Charlie Geren (R–Fort Worth), Jeff Leach(R–Plano), Morgan Meyer (R–Dallas), Briscoe Cain (R–Deer Park), Cody Vasut (R–Angleton), and David Spiller (R–Jacksboro) were the Republicans on the House Board of Managers who pushed for impeachment in the Senate.
Paxton has been temporarily suspended from office since the House’s impeachment vote in May.
Senate Prepares for Vote in Paxton Impeachment Trial
Both the prosecution and defense have rested their case in the Senate’s impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, signaling a coming conclusion to the procedure which has lasted for eight days.
On Wednesday night, Rusty Hardin—a lawyer for the prosecution—accidentally rested the House case early after interviewing a witness.
Thursday’s defense presentation was focused on several current employees of the Office of the Attorney General who provided perspective on the impeachment charges levied against Paxton. Austin Kinghorn, the associate deputy attorney general for legal counsel that replaced “whistleblower” Ryan Vassar, refuted claims that the office put together a “sham investigation” after a group of former employees went to the FBI and accused Ken Paxton of illegal activity.
Kinghorn, who read the report multiple times, said he saw nothing wrong with it. He said would have reported his concerns if he had. Grant Dorfman, the deputy first assistant attorney general, echoed that same sentiment.
At approximately 6 p.m., Tony Buzbee—a defense lawyer for Paxton—rested the defense.
Though rules agreed to by the Senate allowed both sides up to an hour to rebut evidence, they will instead move on to their closing statements.
Both sides will be given one hour to present closing arguments when the Senate reconvenes at 9 a.m. on Friday. Senators will then be given the opportunity to deliberate before making their decision. The prosecution needs 21 senators, or a two-thirds majority, to remove Paxton from office.
Impeachment Case Against Paxton Implodes As Witnesses Admit No Misdeeds
A week and a half into the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the case against the conservative fighter is falling apart in spectacular fashion.
Witness after witness, all called by the House Board of Managers, have testified under oath that they either have no direct evidence against the attorney general or explained that the articles of impeachment were simply untrue.
Former Aide’s Testimony Destroys Claim Paxton Received Granite Countertop Bribe
Brandon Waltens | September 13, 2023
As the clock ticks down in the Senate’s impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, another witness for the prosecution has undermined the allegations lobbed by the House.
This time, the subject was an alleged kitchen renovation at Paxton’s Austin home that House impeachment prosecutors say was funded by Nate Paul, a real estate developer that has been at the center of many of the charges against Paxton.
The renovation project, they allege, amounted to bribery and is spelled out in the tenth article of impeachment, with those seeking to impeach Paxton as well as leftist media reporting he received “granite countertops” in exchange for giving Paul favorable access to the Attorney General’s Office.
Photos provided by Paxton’s legal team, however, show there are no granite countertops. In fact, the kitchen renovation never happened.
Click the above image for information on Ken Paxton's Impeachment Trial
Watch the Impeachment Trial
Click on the link below for the videos of Ken Paxton’s Impeachment Trial.
Paxton Moves to Have ‘Illegal’ Testimony Excluded From Impeachment Trial
Brandon Waltens |
In the latest motion filed ahead of the impeachment trial in the Senate, Attorney General Ken Paxton is calling for illegal and unsworn testimony to be thrown out.
“By impeaching Ken Paxton, the House seeks to remove the sitting Attorney General of the State of Texas, a public servant who has been repeatedly elected by the people of Texas. It has been a century since the last such effort involving a state-wide official,” the motion states. “Given the gravity of these proceedings, Texans should expect that the architects behind this impeachment would have conducted their investigation accordingly, dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s. But the opposite is true.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton acquitted of fraud charges
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted of civil charges of securities fraud brought against him by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC says Paxton encouraged investors to give money in a misleading and unlawful way to McKinney-based Software company Servergy while serving as a state legislator.
In a 29-page ruling written by United States District Judge Amos Mazzant III, Mazzant acknowledged that Paxton “actively recruited investors” for Servergy without telling said investors that he would be profiting from commissions he would receive from their investments. However, the judge says that the action is only legally relevant if the undisclosed information “renders [a] statement false or misleading,”
Attorney General Ken Paxton Filed Motion to Challenge Three Jurors for Cause
On July 21, attorneys for Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a Motion to disqualify Senators Menedez, Gutierrez, and Johnson for cause in the upcoming trial in the Senate. Click here to see the Motion.
Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial will begin Sept. 5, with his attendance required
Suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton will answer to 16 of 20 articles of impeachment at a trial to begin Sept. 5, the Texas Senate said Wednesday night after spending about 20 hours drafting the trial rules in private.
Paxton’s wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, can attend, but she will not participate in deliberations or closed sessions when the Senate sits as a court of impeachment, according to the trial rules adopted without discussion Wednesday on a 25-3 vote.
The three votes in opposition included Angela Paxton and Sens. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, and Bob Hall, R-Edgewood.
The trial, which will be held in public, will begin with opening statements. Lawyers for the House impeachment managers will present evidence first, with cross-examination of witnesses allowed. Paxton’s lawyers will be allowed to present evidence and witnesses as well.
The State Republican Executive Committee of Texas Resolution on Impeachment
Comal County Passes Resolution on Impeachment
Republican Executive Committee of Comal County passed a resolution condemning the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
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