Ken
Paxton
After
years
and
years
of
corruption
and
partisan
hackery,
is
it
possible
that
Texas
Attorney
General
Ken
Paxton
has
managed
to
do
something
filthy
enough
that
the
state’s
Republican
politicians
can’t
look
away?
A
hearing
this
week
in
the
Texas
House
suggests
that
Paxton,
who
was
reelected
in
2022
with
53
percent
of
the
vote,
may
have
finally
gone
too
far
for
his
Republican
brethren.
The
legislature
convened
to
discuss
a
proposed
$3.3
million
payout
to
settle
a
lawsuit
brought
by
four
former
members
of
Paxtons
own
staff
who
were
fired
after
making
whistleblower
reports
to
federal
and
state
investigators.
According
to
the
Texas
Tribune,
legislative
investigators
spent
months
running
down
claims
by
the
plaintiffs
that
Paxton
abused
his
office
to
aid
developer
Nate
Paul,
who
not
only
made
campaign
contributions
to
the
AG
but
is
also
alleged
to
have
renovated
his
entire
house
gratis,
without
even
bothering
to
pull
a
permit,
and
given
a
job
to
Paxton’s
girlfriend.
For
his
part,
Paxton
is
said
to
have
provided
at
least
$72,000
in
taxpayer-funded
labor
as
well
as
paying
an
outside
lawyer
$25,000
for
work
that
benefitted
Paul,
and
handed
over
information
on
an
ongoing
FBI
inquiry
regarding
the
developer.
Erin
Epley,
lead
counsel
for
the
investigating
committee,
described
the
plaintiffs
as
“conservative
Republican
civil
servant[s]”
and
pointed
out
that
it’s
illegal
under
Texas
law
to
retaliate
against
whistleblowers.
“I
ask
that
you
look
at
the
pattern
and
the
deviations
from
the
norm,
questions
not
just
of
criminal
activity
but
of
ethical
impropriety
and
for
lacking
in
transparency,”
she
told
the
House
General
Investigating
Committee.
After
a
three-hour
hearing,
the
Committee
adjourned
for
a
closed-door
executive
session,
but
did
not
make
formal
recommendations
thereafter.
That
did
not
stop
the
AG
from
doing
what
he
does
best
though
—
going
on
the
offensive
using
the
full
firepower
of
his
office.
The
liberal
leadership
of
the
Texas
House
has
routinely
killed
conservative
legislation
including
important
bills
which
would
help
secure
our
border
and
protect
the
integrity
of
our
elections.
They
have
demonstrated
nothing
but
contempt
for
the
traditional
values
of
conservative
Texans.
It
is
not
surprising
that
a
committee
appointed
by
liberal
Speaker
Dade
Phelan
would
seek
to
disenfranchise
Texas
voters
and
sabotage
my
work
as
Attorney
General.
The
false
testimony
of
highly
partisan
Democrat
lawyers
with
the
goal
of
manipulating
and
misleading
the
public
is
reprehensible.Every
allegation
is
easily
disproved,
and
I
look
forward
to
continuing
my
fight
for
conservative
Texas
values.
Speaker
Phelan
is
no
one’s
idea
of
a
liberal.
But
Paxton
pointed
to
apparently
undoctored
footage
of
Phelan
on
May
19,
in
which
he
appears
to
be
presiding
over
the
legislature
while
either
shitfaced
or
having
a
stroke,
and
demanded
that
the
Committee
shift
its
focus
to
investigating
Speaker
Phelan
for
“violation
of
House
rules,
state
law,
and
for
conduct
unbecoming
his
position.”
Which
is
extremely
on
brand
for
a
guy
who
launched
an
investigation
of
the
state
attorney
grievance
body
after
it
dared
investigate
a
bar
complaint
against
him.
“Speaker
Phelan
stands
in
full
support
of
the
general
investigating
committee
and
the
recommendations
that
may
come
as
a
result
of
their
thorough
and
diligent
investigation,”
a
Phelan
spokeswoman
told
the
New
York
Times,
observing
that
the
AG
“appears
to
have
routinely
abused
his
powers
for
personal
gain
and
exhibited
blatant
disregard
for
the
ethical
and
legal
propriety.”
The Times
suggests
that
impeachment
may
be
in
the
offing,
noting
that
the
House
just
expelled
a
member
three
weeks
ago
for
inappropriate
conduct
involving
a
teenager
and
alcohol.
But
the
Texas
Tribune
reminds
us
that
impeachment
would
require
a
two-thirds
vote
by
both
houses
of
the
legislature,
after
first
securing
the
approval
of
the
governor
and
a
majority
of
the
House’s
members.
Good
luck,
Texas!