Who is Ken Paxton? Why is the Texas Attorney General being impeached?

The Texas Senate has begun a historic impeachment trial against Attorney General Ken Paxton on charges of abuse of public trust, corruption, and misuse of public funds, among other allegations. Paxton pleaded not guilty to all 20 articles of impeachment.

The Texas House of Representatives had voted 121-23 to impeach him in May after findings of a House probe cited allegations of bribery, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice. The state Senate is now holding the trial to determine whether or not he deserves to be removed from office.

The trial is the first to be held against a state attorney general in the history of Texas. The impeachment stems from an investigation launched in March by the Republican-led General Investigating Committee of the Texas House.

Paxton was suspended from his official duties as he faced trial in the state Senate. He has denied any wrongdoing, and called the impeachment process “irresponsible, unfounded, and illegal” in a statement.

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Who is Ken Paxton?

Ken Paxton began his political career in 2002 when he won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. He had a 12-year-long tenure in the state House and Senate running from 2003 to 2015.

Paxton ran for the position of Attorney General when it was vacated by Greg Abbott. He won the election in November 2014, and started holding office in January 2015.

The Republican politician has been involved in various high-profile legal cases and controversies.

In 2015, he was indicted on felony charges of securities fraud. These stemmed from allegations that he encouraged investments in a tech company without disclosing that he was receiving commissions for them. The case has been ongoing, with Paxton maintaining his innocence.

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Why is Ken Paxton being impeached in Texas?

The House General Investigating Committee included 20 articles of impeachment in their report. The allegations include making false statements in official records, conspiracy, bribery, dereliction of duty, abuse of public trust, and unfitness for office.

One of the articles involves his alleged retaliation against whistleblowers. In 2020, several senior officials at the Attorney General’s Office accused Paxton of striking back after they reported his potential illegal activities. They claimed that they were wrongfully fired or demoted for raising concerns about the legality of Paxton’s actions.

Another charge of note deals with accusations made in 2020 by his top aides that he abused his office to benefit a political donor. They claimed that Paxton used his position to intervene in a legal matter involving the donor’s company. These allegations prompted an investigation by the FBI.