TMPA Calls on Paxton to Address Issues or Drop Out

The president of the Texas Municipal Police Association, the state's largest organization of law enforcement officials, issued a letter on Thursday calling on Republican attorney general candidate Ken Paxton to drop out of the race or answer questions about the legality of his business practices.

In his letter, Thurlkill, asked, "If you will not comply with the law, how can you be expected to enforce it?"

In response to a Tribune investigation about Paxton's failure to report several business and professional relationships, his campaign recently launched an internal review of his filings with state regulatory authorities and the Texas Ethics Commission to determine whether he violated any laws. 

Paxton, a state senator from McKinney, has since canceled several public appearances and the campaign has declined to comment on the matter publicly.

Thurlkill described Paxton's silence on the matter as "deafening." He concluded his letter by saying, "If you cannot provide answers about these charges, we ask that you withdraw from the Attorney General’s race."

Paxton's campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.

TMPA has endorsed Paxton's challenger in the Republican primary runoff, state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas. Branch recently issued a similar call for Paxton to speak out about the disclosure issues or drop out.