In a historic move, the Texas House of Representatives voted in favour of impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, over allegations of corruption and misconduct. The Texas attorney general is charged with several serious offences, including bribery, abuse of public trust, obstruction of justice, unfitness for office and alleged violations of the state’s securities laws. Paxton has denied all the allegations, calling them baseless, and has accused the impeachment process of being politically motivated.
Only two officials in Texas history have ever been impeached, making it a rare and significant event. The impeachment of Attorney General Paxton took place on Saturday, with the House of Representatives voting in favour of it, based on a 20-article investigation report that was released the day before. The investigation found evidence of Paxton allegedly aiding a wealthy donor who had hired him for legal services, though never disclosed the relationship to state authorities.
The impeachment will now move to the Texas Senate for a trial, where senators will act as “jurors” to decide on whether to remove Paxton from office permanently. A two-thirds majority is required in the Senate to achieve this. Greg Abbott, the Texas Governor, has already appointed David Whitley, a former Texas Secretary of State, to take over as interim attorney general until Paxton’s trial concludes.
Whitley’s appointment caused some alarm among voting rights groups, who criticized his handling of the state’s voter fraud investigations while he was in charge of the state’s election office. However, Governor Abbott praised his “decades of experience and expertise in litigation,” and said that Whitley’s experience will help guide the state’s top law enforcement office.
The House’s decision to impeach Paxton comes amid mounting criticism of his controversial tenure as Texas’ chief law enforcement officer. During his time as attorney general, Paxton repeatedly defied federal authorities and championed conservative causes such as the effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and suing to block the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Paxton also supported former President Trump’s baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden. Paxton’s efforts to overturn the election later led to legal sanctions, a loss of legal standing and outright ridicule in the media.
The impeachment of Attorney General Paxton is being seen by some as a step towards trying to clean up Texas’ image, as many believe that his tenure perpetuated corruption and unethical behaviour in the state’s political landscape. However, Paxton’s supporters argue that the impeachment is just another case of political witch-hunt, and that the allegations against him are not substantiated by evidence.
With the trial scheduled to begin no later than 28 August, the fate of Paxton’s political future remains uncertain. It remains to be seen if the Texas Senate will remove him from office, or if the allegations leveled against him will stand. Nevertheless, the Texas House of Representatives’ impeachment decision has sent a strong message to other officials, signaling that corruption and misconduct will no longer be tolerated, regardless of political affiliation or rank.
