Extremists have turned Texas into a hotbed for hate, report finds
The report blames an “alarming rise in extremist ideology and activity” on white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ+ groups that are active or headquartered in Texas. Full Story
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Robert Downen is a reporter covering democracy and the threats to it, including extremism, disinformation and conspiracies. Before joining the Tribune in 2022, he worked for five years at the Houston Chronicle. As a Hearst Media fellow, he developed what would become "Abuse of Faith," a landmark investigation into child sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention that prompted a Department of Justice investigation. Before coming to Texas, Robert was a business reporter in New York's capital region, and the managing editor of six newspapers in his home state of Illinois. He is a 2014 graduate of Eastern Illinois University.
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![A sign with the message "Pray for Allen Tx" hangs from a makeshift cross in memorial of the eight victims of the Allen Premium Outlets mall shooting outside the mall in Allen on May 7, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asks state auditor to review Ken Paxton impeachment
The request follows Patrick’s blistering denunciation of the House’s role impeaching the attorney general. Full Story
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![Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick hands off the second article of impeachment in the trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton at the Texas Capitol on Saturday, Sep. 16, 2023.]()
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Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial escalates Texas Republican civil war
Paxton’s far-right supporters doubled down on their promises for swift retribution against fellow Republicans who supported his removal from office. Full Story
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![Streetlights illuminate the Texas Capitol through early morning fog on the ninth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in Austin on Sept. 15, 2023.]()
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For Paxton lawyers, the trial was a “sham.” House managers say it exposed a “corrupt politician.”
Finally freed of a gag order, the opposing sides pulled no punches after the attorney general was acquitted. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton’s defense attorney Tony Buzbee answers a question from Texas Tribune reporter Karen Brooks during a press conference following the Senate’s vote to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton of 16 articles of impeachment on Sept. 16, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Paxton acquittal updates: AG’s wife, a state senator, hugged his attorney after verdicts read
Other public officials have begun weighing in after the attorney general was returned to his post as the state’s top lawyer. Full Story
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![Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, hugs defense attorney Tony Buzbee after the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate on September 16, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton defense calls charges “foolishness,” House argues AG “betrayed us” in closing impeachment arguments
Senators begin deliberating in private after defense lawyers and impeachment managers make impassioned pleas after two weeks of trial. Full Story
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![Senators are led onto the Senate Floor at the beginning of the ninth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial at the state capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton impeachment defense rests after calling 4 witnesses
Senators will hear closing arguments beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, after which they will deliberate in private before emerging to cast votes on whether the attorney general can remain in office. Full Story
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![Tony Buzbee, a lead defense attorney, listens in as Grant Dorfman, Deputy First Assistant Attorney General at the Texas Office of the Attorney General, is questioned by the defense team on the Senate floor during suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s trial on Sept. 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Paxton trial updates, Sept. 14: AG supervisor refutes whistleblower claims
Watch a livestream of the attorney general’s impeachment trial and get the latest updates as senators weigh his political future. Full Story
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![Tony Buzbee, a lead defense attorney, listens in as Grant Dorfman, Deputy First Assistant Attorney General at the Texas Office of the Attorney General, answers questions from defense attorney TKTK on the Senate floor during suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s trial on Sept. 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s lawyer attacks allegation that home renovation was a bribe
Drew Wicker, Paxton’s former personal assistant, testified at Paxton’s impeachment trial that his boss used four cell phones and ditched his security to meet with Nate Paul. But Wicker also provided Paxton’s lawyer with a chance to attack a central bribery allegation. Full Story
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![Drew Wicker, former executive aid to the Attorney General, testifies on Sept. 13, 2023, the seventh day of Ken Paxton's impeachment trial in the Texas Senate.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Paxton trial, Sept. 13: Woman in alleged affair with Paxton planned to plead the Fifth, doesn’t testify
Watch a livestream of the attorney general’s impeachment trial and get the latest updates as senators weigh his political future. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks to both parties moments after House prosecuting attorney Rusty Hardin rested the House's case during the seventh day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial on Sept. 13, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune