Voice of America
28 May 2023, 05:35 GMT+10
The GOP-led Texas House of Representatives impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday, a sudden, historic rebuke of a fellow Republican who rose to be a star of the conservative legal movement despite years of scandal and alleged crimes.
The vote triggers Paxton's immediate suspension from office pending the outcome of a trial in the state Senate and empowers Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to appoint someone else as Texas' top lawyer in the interim. Final removal would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, where Paxton's wife's, Angela, is a member.
The 121-23 vote constitutes an abrupt downfall for one of the GOP's most prominent legal combatants, who in 2020 asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn President Joe Biden's electoral defeat of Donald Trump. It makes Paxton only the third sitting official in Texas' nearly 200-year history to have been impeached.
Moments after the vote, Paxton's office said the impeachment was 'based on totally false claims' and pointed to internal reports that found no wrongdoing. House investigators said the attorney general's probe into Paxton's actions includes false and disproven claims.
'No one person should be above the law, least not the top law enforcement officer of the state of Texas,' Representative David Spiller, a Republican member of the committee that investigated Paxton, said in opening statements.
Representative Ann Johnson, a Democratic member, told lawmakers that Texas' 'top cop is on the take.'
As the articles of impeachment, which include bribery and abuse of public trust, were laid out, some of the lawmakers shook their heads.
Paxton has been under FBI investigation for years over accusations that he used his office to help a donor and was separately indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, though he has yet to stand trial. Until this week, his fellow Republicans had taken a muted stance on the allegations.
Lawmakers allied with Paxton tried to discredit the investigation by noting that hired investigators, not panel members, interviewed witnesses. They also said several of the investigators had voted in Democratic primaries, tainting the impeachment, and that they had too little time to review evidence.
'I perceive it could be political weaponization,' said Representative Tony Tinderholt, one of the House's most conservative members. Republican Representative John Smithee compared the proceeding to 'a Saturday mob out for an afternoon lynching.'
Texas' top elected Republicans had been notably quiet about Paxton this week. But on Saturday both Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz came to his defense, with the senator calling the impeachment process 'a travesty' and saying the attorney general's legal troubles should be left to the courts.
'Free Ken Paxton,' Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, warning that if House Republicans proceeded with the process, 'I will fight you.'
Abbott, who lauded Paxton while swearing him in for a third term in January, has remained silent. The governor spoke at a Memorial Day service in the House chamber about three hours before the impeachment proceedings began. Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan also attended but the two appeared to exchange few words, and Abbott left without commenting to reporters.
Get a daily dose of Austin Globe news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Austin Globe.
More InformationSAN FRANCISCO, California: Nvidia, the Silicon Valley chipmaker at the heart of the artificial intelligence boom, this week briefly...
REDMOND, Washington: Artificial intelligence is transforming Microsoft's bottom line. The company saved over US$500 million last year...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A federal rule designed to make it easier for Americans to cancel subscriptions has been blocked by a U.S. appeals...
BASTROP, Texas: In a surprising turn at Elon Musk's X platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced she is stepping down, just months after...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
ATLANTA, Georgia: The United States is facing its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, with 1,288 confirmed cases so...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: After months of warnings from former federal officials and weather experts, the deadly flash floods that struck the...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
(Photo credit: Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) The Colorado Rockies have a chance Saturday to do...
(Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images) The Baltimore Orioles are on a roll. Now it's a matter of keeping it up. They go into...
(Photo credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images) The St. Louis Cardinals are giving struggling starting pitcher Erick Fedde at least one more...