Paxton prosecutors blame politics for trumping evidence in attorney general’s impeachment trial
Houston attorney Dick DeGuerin said his team was naive in its belief that “principle would win out over politics.” Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/15ea1fbff8cd0c53dac326804e9f4a38/0923%20Paxton%20Prosecution%20TTF23%20TT%20EG%2004.jpg)
-
![Texas Tribune politics reporter Patrick Svitek moderates a panel with Harriet O’Neill, Erin Epley, Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin about Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 23, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Paxton critics pile on, calling impeachment trial rigged
House Speaker Dade Phelan wrote an op-ed for his hometown newspaper, saying the “fix was in from the start,” while other Republican officials are calling for Phelan’s resignation. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/42cf2fc8c348cc28b6b36f2699cd366c/0906%20Impeach%20Trial%20Day%203%20EH%20TT%2001.jpg)
![The state Capitol early in the morning of Sept. 6, 2023, the third day of the impeachment trial in Austin.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
“The guy can’t keep his zipper up”: Karl Rove pushes back at Ken Paxton
Rove pushed back against claims Paxton made in recent interviews that the GOP strategist colluded with other Texas officials to bring about the impeachment charges. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d581ee2a018edfe1f18968d3a3651850/0924%20Karl%20Rove%20TT%20EG.jpg)
![Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Republican political consultant Karl Rove speaks on a panel at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton acquittal could quiet future whistleblowers, experts say
The Texas attorney general was exonerated by the state Senate, but a lawsuit from former employees still lingers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1589d3e10f22798e93319bb73da8c1e0/0916%20Paxton%20Trial%20Day%2010%20BD%20TT%2007.jpg)
![Several of the whistleblowers from the attorney general's office sit in the gallery anticipating the verdicts at the Ken Paxton impeachment trial in the Texas Senate on Sept. 16, 2023. From left, front row: David Maxwell, Margaret Moore, Ryan Vassar, unknown; back row: Blake Brickman and T.J. Turner.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick defends taking $3 million from pro-Paxton group ahead of trial
The lieutenant governor said that he took just as much from “the other side,” including donors aligned with Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which Paxton has labeled a political enemy. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/13eeac57e18c9278e9b40ce18891e991/0530%20Dan%20Patrick%20Lege%20Recap%20EG%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recaps the 88th Legislative Session with Sherry Sylvester, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, at TPPF Headquarters in downtown Austin, on May 30, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
“Get ready”: Ken Paxton promises retribution in interview blitz after impeachment trial
The radio interviews came the morning after Paxton gave his first post-acquittal interview to Tucker Carlson, telling the former Fox News host he was “re-energized” after the acquittal. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/410d78ae952407880f2f032b8f5ff54e/Paxton%20Edinburg%20Presser%20MGO%20TT%2012.jpg)
![Attorney General Ken Paxton at a border security briefing at the Texas DPS airport hangar in Edinburg on Jan. 28, 2022. Paxton's office coordinated the event with 12 attorneys general from around the U.S. to dicuss legal action taken against the Biden administration about immigration policy.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
The many times Ken Paxton refused to defend Texas agencies in court
The Texas attorney general said he’s “back to work” after his recent acquittal, but his office has repeatedly declined to fulfill one of its key duties: representing state agencies who are being sued. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fa3f1ffeaf0ea9645295267968662dec/0915%20Impeach%20Trial%20Day%209%20JS%20174_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton blasts fellow Republicans and floats Cornyn challenge in post-impeachment interview
In his first remarks since being acquitted on 16 articles of impeachment, the suspended Texas attorney general blamed Democrats while also taking aim at a number of high-profile Republicans. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e35687e2311172a0cebe4238b425171d/Paxton%20SATX%20KGB%20TT%2005.jpg)
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attends a campaign event during a Bulverde Spring Branch Conservative Republicans meeting on May 16, 2022, in Bulverde. Paxton criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, discussed voter fraud in Texas and praised the leaked SCOTUS draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune -
GOP senators, open to Paxton conviction, flipped when they realized they were still short the votes
“I feel there were six senators who were ready to be the 21st vote,” said Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas. “But they didn’t want to be the 20th vote.” Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a8c9f6b6b8282eb045b578341bb8a8f3/0911%20Paxton%20Trial%205%20JF%20DMN%20Pool%20TT%2005.jpg)
![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, center, bows his head in prayer as state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, leads the Senate in prayer during the fifth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Senate chamber at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. Brian Birdwell was in the Pentagon when American Airlines flight 77 struck.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/Pool via The Dallas Morning News -
Ken Paxton verdict heightens political tension ahead of education special session
The Texas House and Senate were already far apart on “school choice.” Anger over the impeachment trial might make it even harder to find common ground. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c65f797a3c9725322f2fc5fc80bd25af/Capitol%20File%20Feb%201%20EL%20TT%2004.jpg)
![The Texas Capitol on Feb. 1, 2021.]()
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9186a2b38a8ba478a495b8785268da39/0916%20Paxton%20Trial%20Day10%20AM%20AAS%20TT%2015.jpg)
![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.]()
Credit: Aaron E. Martinez/Pool via American-Statesman -
Donald Trump claims credit for saving Ken Paxton
Paxton and Trump have long been closely aligned, with the Texas attorney general leading a lawsuit to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9f72f0ab9e48e7dccdd26526b51619a7/0325%20Waco%20Trump%20Rally%20LS%20TT%2045.jpg)
![Former president Donald Trump holds his first 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas on Mar. 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
An emboldened Ken Paxton returns to a battered attorney general’s office
The impeachment proceedings, and the events that precipitated them, have left the Texas Office of the Attorney General in turmoil. Can Paxton steady the ship of an institution vital to the conservative cause? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e2cfa226b5cdf0a7a57d42a73f6926aa/0110%20Lege%20Opening%20BD%2031.jpg)
![Opening Day action of the 88th Texas Legislature at the Texas Capitol showing Attorney General Ken Paxton conferring with Gov. Greg Abbott outside the Senate chamber before his swearing in ceremony in Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s prosecutors stumbled at times. But did it matter in the GOP-dominated Senate?
The House impeachment managers faced a high bar: convincing enough Republican senators to vote against their own political self-interest. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7f1c32eec7a1417802fd993306c899e9/0916%20Paxton%20Trial%20Day%2010%20BD%20TT%2015.jpg)
![House impeachment manager Rep. David Spiller, R-Jacksboro, center, listens as votes are votes cast during Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial on Sept. 16, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton emerges victorious from yet another career scandal
It marked a screaming milestone in a two-decade political career that has seen Paxton harness the state’s increasingly conservative politics — and later the rise of Donald Trump — to stay in power longer than his vulnerabilities would suggest. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1555c7f0a57887ee9e190d179759e81d/0905%20Floor%20POOL%20JF%20DMN%20TT%2002.jpg)
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton looks up at the gallery during the first day of his impeachment trial in the Texas Senate chambers at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/Pool via The Dallas Morning News -
These 2 senators were the only Republicans to vote for Paxton impeachment articles
Kelly Hancock and Robert Nichols broke from the rest of their party, but longtime observers said they weren’t surprised. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ff6ead0cc60065dfd17dd584333090b1/0916%20Nichols%20Hancock.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5847fb042ff3626a7d09a1469be88b63/0915%20Impeach%20Trial%20Day%209%20JS%20TT%20145.jpg)
![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.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Captivated by the historic trial, Texans respond to Paxton acquittal with delight, disappointment
Those disappointed by the Senate vote, blame political polarization. Those pleased with the acquittal say the evidence fell short. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/27bca38c6b0081092d444af4a14569da/0916%20Paxton%20Trial%20Day%2010%20JS%20TT%2018.jpg)
![Members of the public exit the gallery on the tenth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial at the Texas Capitol in Austin on Sept. 16, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5d88f0eddbe76960f85171e1c211355a/0916%20Paxton%20Defense%20Presser%20EG%20TT%2008.jpg)
![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 -
Senate Republicans say House managers failed to meet high burden of proof
Democrats, however, said their GOP colleagues “caved” to outside pressure in voting to acquit and return Ken Paxton to his job as attorney general. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/396646529fbed9c1a50eb508fd9324f8/0916%20Paxton%20Trial%20Day%2010%20BD%20TT%2024.jpg)
![State senators file into the Texas Senate to cast their votes on the articles of impeachment on Sept. 16, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune