Texas senators want to reopen impeachment proceedings against state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
State Sen. Drew Springer, a Republican from Munster, urged Texas senators to bring impeachment charges against Paxton after the attorney general said he would not contest the allegations in the whistleblower lawsuit. He urged them to reconsider.
“You cannot plead guilty while still claiming innocence,” Springer wrote to X. “We urge the Lieutenant Governor and his colleagues in the Senate to consider reinstating the impeachment of Mr. Paxton. Not only has Mr. Paxton admitted to violating the articles of impeachment, he is exposing the taxpayers of Texas.” Settlement is well over $3.3 million. Texans deserve to know the truth!”
Paxton was acquitted in September of all articles of impeachment on charges of corruption and unfitness to hold office. He was facing accusations that he misused his political power to support real estate developer Nate Paul. The allegations stemmed from a lawsuit filed by four former employees who reported him to the FBI.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on November 1, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Whistleblowers Blake Brickman, Ryan Vasser, Mark Penley, and David Maxwell allege they were wrongfully fired for reporting Paxton.
Mr. Springer voted to acquit Mr. Paxton on 16 counts of impeachment at his trial in September. But he now says, “Recent developments make me question whether Attorney General Paxton and his legal team misled the Senate.”
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Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (center) listens to defense and prosecution attorneys during the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate chamber of the Texas State Capitol on September 13, 2023 in Austin. ) and attorney Lana Myers (right). . (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
what happened? Last week, the attorney general's office said in a court filing that it was “possible to obtain a verdict in the attorney general's favor in this case,” but that instead “a rogue party's attempt to self-aggrandize state courts… He said he moved to settle the lawsuit to “prevent its political weaponization.” These are employees with the seemingly bizarre goal of undermining the will of voters. ” FOX 7 Austin reported.
“Doing so will prevent further unwarranted expense to the people of Texas and disruption to the state's primary law enforcement agency, whose time and personnel would be better suited to Texas business rather than personal.” “The political agenda of the four rogue former employees,” the filing states.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (center) sits with attorneys Tony Buzbee (left) and Dan Cogdell during the impeachment trial in the Senate chamber of the Texas State Capitol on September 5, 2023 in Austin. (Juan Figueroa/Dallas Morning News, Associated Press, Pool)
“OAG hereby elects not to dispute any factual issues with respect to claims or damages in this action,” Paxton said in the filing.
Springer argues this amounts to an admission of guilt and should be considered by the Legislature.
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“Although AG Paxton maintains that this decision is not an admission of guilt, the fact of the matter is that it is an admission of guilt. He has touted that he is innocent of the allegations. “However, I cannot accept the whistleblower's allegations against me,” Springer said. .
The attorney general's office did not respond to a request for comment.
