Texas lawmakers call for impeachment of AG Ken Paxton

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is now perilously close to impeachment after the Republican-led House investigative committee recommended his removal on Thursday.

The recommendation came in a unanimous decision, after years of corruption allegations and criminal charges were finally recognized by the state’s Republican lawmakers.

On Wednesday, the allegations were exposed in a new investigation that detailed the extent of Paxton’s campaign donor corruption, in addition to an extramarital affair and other misuses of his position.

The action set the scene for what could be a swift downfall for one of the GOP’s key legal advocates. In 2020, Paxton unsuccessfully asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Biden’s presidential victory.

Paxton has been under FBI investigation for indictments on securities fraud charges since 2015. But as the House committee’s investigation came to fruition this week, Paxton attempted to portray it as merely a political attack from Republican House speaker Dade Phelan, who he called a “liberal.”

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The House is able to vote on the decision as early as Friday, and if they approve the recommendation, Paxton will be forced to step down immediately.

However, it’s not clear when a vote is actually expected to take place. The Republican chair of the investigative committee, Rep. Andrew Murr, said he has yet to decide on a timeline for the process.

Meanwhile, Philip Hilder, one of the criminal defense attorneys representing Paxton, argued that his client’s fate should be decided in the courts.

“These matters are appropriate for resolution in a judicial system, not in a political system,” Hilder told the Associated Press.

Just two Texas officials in the state’s almost 200-year history have been impeached from their positions.

With News Wire Services