Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton was suspended from office after the state House impeached him recently. The allegations underlying the impeachment centered on corrupt use of his office for the personal gain of himself and his inner circle.
Though the immediate suspension from his position is not mirrored in the federal process of impeachment, which only impacts an officeholder’s standing if the Senate votes to convict that individual, the Texas state Senate will soon be holding a trial on the allegations against Paxton. Though the proceedings are referred to as a trial, deliberations are not based in potential violations of criminal law, instead consulting other standards of conduct relevant to the elected official. Paxton’s trial is now scheduled to start by August 28. Notably, Paxton’s wife is currently a member of the state Senate in Texas, which like the state House that impeached him, is currently controlled by a Republican majority.
Opposition to Paxton culminated in his impeachment after lawmakers faced a push for the state itself to foot the bill of $3.3 million as part of a settlement arrangement with individuals who formerly worked on Paxton’s team but were pushed out after they helped raise accusations of his misconduct. State Republicans resisted the payment.
The nearly two dozen articles of impeachment later prepared against Paxton covered matters including his original antagonistic stance towards those whistleblowers, ranging from initial firings to Paxton’s later attempts to wage what was essentially a PR campaign against these individuals, threatening their future employment prospects. The articles of impeachment also included outrage over the settlement agreement, as entering into the deal meant that further proceedings potentially exposing Paxton’s misconduct towards the whistleblowers would be suspended.
Paxton was on the ballot last year, and a recap from the Associated Press of Republicans’ complaints against him included a note that keeping further information about his actions from public knowledge via that settlement push threatened the opportunity for voters to make an informed decision in the 2022 midterm races. Paxton was impeached despite support for his cause even expressed by former President Donald Trump, who was essentially returning the favor after Paxton took action that could have seriously boosted Trump’s attempts to stay in power past 2020’s election if successful.
