Texas House votes to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton despite major pushback from Conservatives
May 27, 2023 | Austin, TX
Update: A statement from Rep. Will Metcalf about the reasoning behind his vote in favor of impeachment was added on May 28.
Please watch this informative video from State Rep. Steve Toth further explaining the situation.
Watch AG Paxton discussing this issue on Newsmax.
The Texas House voted 121-23 today for the impeachment resolution (HR 2377) against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Despite not passing meaningful legislation this session to close the border or secure our elections, the House found time to vote for the impeachment of the best Attorney General in the nation, proving they can really move on something when it’s actually important to them. The vote will go to the Texas Senate next.
“It's truly shocking that not a single person from @KenPaxtonTX's office was ever questioned about this proceeding,” said Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R, Dist. 94) on Twitter. “Can you imagine any investigation in which the suspect isn’t once questioned and when his attorney asks to bring testimony to investigators, he’s turned away? Process matters, especially in such an important undertaking.”
Only 23 Reps Voted No
Representatives not voting for the impeachment were (all Republicans):
Rep. Charles Anderson (HD 56)
Rep. Cecil Bell (HD 3)
Rep. Travis Clardy (HD 11)
Rep. Tom Craddick (HD 82)
Rep. Charles Cunningham (HD 127)
Rep. Mark Dorazio (HD 122)
Rep. Sam Harless (HD 126)
Rep. Cody Harris (HD 8)
Rep. Brian Harrison (HD 10)
Rep. Carrie Isaac (HD 73)
Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson (HD 23)
Rep. Geanie Morrison (HD 30)
Rep. Dennis Paul (HD 129)
Rep. Four Price (HD 87)
Rep. Matt Schaefer (HD 6)
Rep. Nate Schatzline (HD 93)
Rep. Mike Schofield (HD 132)
Rep. Shelby Slawson (HD 59)
Rep. John T. Smithee (HD 86)
Rep. Valoree Swanson (HD 150)
Rep. Ed Thompson (HD 29)
Rep. Tony Tinderholt (HD 94)
Rep. Steve Toth (HD 15)
Here is the unofficial vote:
Statement From AG Paxton’s Office
Following the vote to impeach, Attorney General Paxton’s office released the following statement:
“The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) released a comprehensive report that unequivocally refutes incorrect testimony that was heard in the House General Investigating Committee. Based on the inaccuracies, falsehoods, and misstatements provided in that testimony, the Texas House chose to proceed with the illegal impeachment of Attorney General Paxton.
“The General Investigating Committee’s politically motivated investigation against Attorney General Paxton is predicated on long-disproven claims grounded in hearsay and gossip. In August of 2021, after nearly a year of diligent investigation into these claims from former employees, the Office of the Attorney General released an exhaustive report that ultimately refuted each of the former employees’ allegations. In that report, the OAG stated it would further investigate the allegations and supplement as necessary. Subsequently, the OAG retained an outside law firm to conduct further investigation into the claims of retaliation by the former employees.
“This law firm investigation culminated in a report that documents the OAG’s legitimate, non-retaliatory grounds for terminating each of these individuals. This report, along with other clarifying and ultimately exonerating information, could have been readily available to the committee investigators had they merely asked.
“Furthermore, an official from the Office of the Attorney General was physically present at a hearing of the House General Investigating Committee on Thursday, May 25. The official offered to testify and sought to inform the House General Investigating Committee about this matter, including by supplying the report, which the official had a physical copy of with him. However, the House General Investigating Committee specifically chose to ignore the official’s offer to testify because they were narrowly focused on advancing an illegal action that would disenfranchise voters who duly elected the Attorney General. They were not interested in the truth. They were interested only in crafting a highly curated, one-sided case to overthrow the will of the voters.
“In light of the irresponsible, unfounded, and illegal impeachment of Attorney General Paxton, the Office of the Attorney General is now releasing the report.”
To read the initial report, click here.
To read the outside law firm’s report, click here.
Statement from Texas Rep. Will Metcalf
On Saturday, May 27th, the Texas House overwhelmingly voted to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton by a vote of 121-23 with over 70% of the Republican Caucus voting in favor of impeachment.
How did we get to this point?
In March of 2023, General Paxton and his agency asked that the Legislature appropriate $3.3 million of your tax dollars so that he could settle a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by whistleblowers in his own office. This settlement was made in February 2023, and just one month later, General Paxton made this demand of the Legislature without providing sufficient information to support such a request. Due to the nature of the allegations brought by the whistleblowers, the lack of information from the agency on the request, and the size of the settlement, the Texas House General Investigating Committee, made up of three Republicans and two Democrats, initiated an investigation to determine if the payment of public dollars was warranted. As fiscally conservative legislators, it would be imprudent to blindly hand over millions of dollars to whoever asks for it. The committee, along with a team of highly respected and experienced attorneys and investigators, has been working since March to get those questions answered.
On May 24th, the committee experts presented their findings on what was uncovered during the months-long investigation. I encourage everyone to view the video or read the transcript of the hearing. You can find these here. I found the methodical testimony and detailed findings presented by the experts to be highly alarming. There are brazen and credible discoveries involving bribery, conspiracy, abuse of office, misappropriation of public resources and obstruction of justice, just to name a few. As the top law enforcement official in our state, the office of the Attorney General must be held to the highest standard. The findings of the committee are deeply troubling, and are available for anyone to view online.
“The Committee’s evidence indicates Ken Paxton has engaged in bribery by providing legal favors and specialized access to a friend and political donor in exchange for renovations to Paxton’s home. Evidence shows that the Attorney General routinely directed employees to reverse legal conclusions, act contrary to law, and abandon legal precedent when it could benefit himself or his donor friend. Evidence indicates that he abused the power of his office to obtain private DPS and FBI files related to the investigation of his friend and donor, and suggests the information was improperly disclosed such that the individual had the details of law enforcement’s case against him. Ultimately, the evidence portrays that the Attorney General fired and took adverse action against employees who blew the whistle on this type of conduct.
Overall, there are 20 articles of impeachment against the Attorney General. These articles are disregard of official duty, misapplication of public resources, constitutional bribery, obstruction of justice, false statements in official business records, false statements in official records, conspiracy and attempted conspiracy, misappropriation of public resources, dereliction of duty, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust.
While I am distressed at the committee’s findings and accusations involving the Attorney General, I want to make clear that he has not yet been convicted of these allegations. Our state’s constitution reserves that power to the Senate. As a legislator, I took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, to the best of my ability, so help me God. Due to the severity and credibility of the committee’s findings that crimes have been committed by the state’s chief law enforcement officer, I voted to impeach General Paxton so that the Senate can conduct a full trial to determine if he is fit to continue serving as the state’s top law enforcement officer.
As members of the Texas House of Representatives, our vote to impeach works in a way very similar to a grand jury. The House decides only if there is sufficient evidence to justify further legal proceedings. The power is granted to the House to “impeach”, and the Senate to try “impeachment”. The House was presented with a set of facts, and those facts ultimately warranted impeachment so that this matter could be referred to the Senate for a full trial. The Attorney General requested that taxpayers fund his settlement suit of $3.3 million dollars, and after a deeper look at the facts surrounding the case, the Texas House has made it clear that this type of behavior will not be tolerated by a state official. I am confident that this was the right thing to do for Texas to ensure public trust remains in the Office of the Attorney General. The Texas Senate is now tasked with considering the 20 articles of impeachment in a public trial.
I hope this summary provides you with clear reasoning as to why I voted in favor of impeachment in this matter. I did not come to this decision lightly, and I am confident that the Texas Senate will consider all the facts and impartially deliberate these matters to reach a conclusion.
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May God bless you, your family, and the Great State of Texas!
Sincerely,
State Representative Will Metcalf
House District 16
Statement from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz
Statement from Republican Party of Texas Chairman Matt Rinaldi
TAKE ACTION
In light of the watered-down border security legislation passed this session, you would think the Texas House would want to keep AG Ken Paxton fighting against the Biden Administration, but instead they’re working to remove him.
According to Texas Scorecard, “The issue will now be sent to the Senate for a trial where he would be required to be convicted by two-thirds of the senators in order to be removed from office. Pending the outcome of that trial, Paxton will be suspended from his duties.”
Please contact your Texas Senator and ask for a NO vote on impeaching the Texas Attorney General.
Sen. Brandon Creighton (Dist. 4)
(512) 463-0104 (Austin Office)
(281) 292-4128 (District Office)
Send an email
Senator Paul Bettencourt (Dist. 7)
(512) 463-0107 (Austin Office)
(713) 464-0282 (District Office)
Send an email
Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (Dist. 18)
(512) 463-0118 (Austin Office)
(979) 251-7888 (District Office)
Send an email