AG Paxton Trial: Background, Updates, and Action Alerts
The Montgomery County Republican Party’s Legislative Committee is monitoring the Senate impeachment trial of Attorney General Paxton. View updates and action items below and sign up for Legislative Alert emails.
Updates & Action Alerts
-
The news is out! Texas AG Ken Paxton was acquitted of all charges against him in his impeachment trial in the Texas Senate.
There are 31 state senators and a conviction requires a 2/3 vote. Since one of the senators is Paxton’s wife, Angela, she was recused. Twenty-one votes were needed on any one of the articles to convict Paxton and remove him from office.
Twelve of the articles of impeachment received a 14 ‘yay’ and 16 ‘nay vote, meaning they were never within 7 votes of conviction. So, it wasn’t even close.
In the Senate, there are 12 Democrats and 19 Republicans. With Democrats voting consistently to impeach, 2 Republican senators joined them with a ‘yay’ vote in 12 of the 16 votes taken.
Those two Republican senators are Robert Nicholls of District 3 in East Texas and Kelly Hancock of District 9 in the Ft Worth area.
When all votes were counted and acquittal announced, the sitting judge Lt Governor Dan Patrick, put down his gavel and shared his thoughts on the drama, giving the House members involved a tongue lashing for ignoring rules for an impeachment charge. He also threatened an audit of all costs. The prosecution employed 17 lawyers at $500/an hour for three months. You can read his official statement here.
On the heels of Lt. Governor Patrick’s stinging words, House Speaker Dade Phelan released his own statement on X (Twitter). Phelan appears to be digging in on the sham impeachment, citing all the evidence that was provided and taking a shot at the Lt. Governor’s reprimand.
The two week trial has been, at times tedious and at other times dramatic and in the closing arguments Paxton’s Defense Attorney called out the Bush family, saying, “You can see it across the country. This is a battle for power. The Bush era in Texas ends today. They can go back to Maine. This is Texas.”
-
As reported by Tom Glass, “The ten Republican Senators who voted against the will of the voters are: Birdwell, Flores, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, King, Middleton, Nichols, Sparks, and Springer.”
Contact them to vote NOT GUILTY. Suggested script used by a local grassroots Republican is below.
Sen. Birdwell - (512) 463-0122
EmailSen. Flores - (512) 463-0124
EmailSen. Hancock - (512) 463-0109
EmailSen. Huffman - (512) 463-0117
EmailSen. Hughes - (512) 463-0101
EmailSen. King - (512) 463-0110
EmailSen. Middleton - (512) 463-0111
EmailSen. Nichols – (512) 463-0103
EmailSen. Sparks – (512) 463-0131
EmailSen. Springer - (512) 463-0130
EmailSuggested Script:
“I am urging you as a Senate juror to vote NOT GUILTY in the impeachment trial of AG Paxton. AG Paxton is the most conservative AG in the entire US, and he has been going after the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional policies, trying to enforce election integrity, protect our border, and even going after the vaccine mandate. Removing our AG will endanger Texas, which affects the entire U.S.”
-
You have likely heard the news. The defense team for AG Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial rested late today. At 9 a.m tomorrow, closing arguments will begin. Each side will have one hour and then the jurors will convene in private to deliberate.
If I were a betting person, I would bet that the senators that comprise the jury are ready to be done with the whole sordid matter, and we will have a verdict before the day is out.
Earlier in the day, the open records division chief at the attorney general’s office, testified that Paxton had not, in fact, pressured him to release records to Nate Paul’s attorney. An associate deputy AG testified that Paxton, as the head of the OAG, has the right to see a file if he wants to. And the agency’s Director of HR testified that those whistleblowers who lost their jobs were fired for egregious violations of policies.
Meanwhile, Texas Scorecard Publisher Michael Quinn Sullivan tweeted the following:
“There is a non-zero chance some Senate Democrats will be “present not voting” or vote “not guilty” in the #Paxton Trial.
The House performance was that last bad.
Evidence matters, the House said. We have lots of evidence, the House said.
They had zero evidence.”
The end is nigh and it can’t happen soon enough. -
Just when we thought the big show was gradually fizzling out, the seventh day ended with a spectacular error. After questioning another whistleblower, House Prosecutor and renowned defense attorney Rusty Hardin accidentally rested his case. Could Paxton’s defense have been more tickled and cooperative?
Presumably, Hardin intended to complete his questioning of former deputy AG James Blake Brickman and allow the defense to cross-examine the witness. Clearly shocked, but delighted, defense attorney Tony Buzbee quickly waived his right to cross-examine Brickman to allow the prosecution to rest.
After this development, Paxton’s defense team initially requested a directed verdict, which is essentially a motion to dismiss the case. But after a break, the defense team inexplicably withdrew their motion.Another highlight: the expectation that Paxton’s mistress would be brought in to testify, having been subpoenaed just yesterday. But near day’s end, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick reported, “She is present but is deemed unavailable to testify,” adding both sides agreed to the decision.
Much of the day was filled with the testimony of Andrew Wicker, Paxton’s former travel aide. Wicker shared his concerns that Nate Paul had paid for renovations of the Paxton home in return for political favors. Upon cross examination and presentation of evidence, however, Wicker allowed that the evidence showed the Paxtons appeared to have paid for the work. Another in a long line of witnesses who seemingly have no actual proof of wrongdoing.
Tomorrow, the defense takes its turn.From September 12:
Easily, the highlight of day 6 was the testimony of one Brandon Cammack, an enthusiastic young attorney hired to investigate the incessant complaints of law enforcement and FBI misconduct from real estate developer Nate Paul in regard to an indictment for alleged financial crimes.
The whistleblowers, all former deputy AGs, were so opposed to the investigation that they declined to do the work, were uncooperative with Cammack, and ultimately made the issue part of their complaint to the FBI against Paxton.
When a ‘cease and desist’ letter from one of the whistleblowers and U.S. Marshalls showed up at his office, Cammack found himself in the middle of an apparent battle between the two sides, out in the cold with no compensation for his efforts, but ultimately with a date for an impeachment trial. -
If Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is correct, the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton could go into deliberations on Thursday. As leader of the Senate, where the trial is taking place, Lt. Governor Patrick is serving as judge. He also stated today that the senators will remain in Austin at work until a verdict is reached.
That was the bombshell for today and a welcome one it was, especially in light of predictions that it could continue into October. As the parade of witnesses give their testimony and are cross-examined, the bombshells are winding down and the process seems more tedious.
Paxton’s former Chief of Staff Missy Cary was brought in to testify at some length regarding what she knew about Paxton’s affair and the impact it had on their staff. In cross-examination, defense attorney Tony Buzbee commented, “Imagine if we impeached in Austin all those who’ve had an affair? We’d be impeaching a lot, right?”
One of the more interesting recurring themes that was produced by testimony from the whistleblowers is the charge that Paxton could and should trust the FBI, the DOJ and the feds in general. It leads one to wonder whether they have been paying any attention at all to the shenanigans emanating from those quarters in the past decade or so.
If we were all going by the rule of law, we could put our faith in the justice system and accept the verdict. But as we have seen repeatedly there is little to reassure us in government these days. And, as if on queue, we were reminded that the Department of Justice has been engaging in an investigation of Paxton since 2020.
If Paxton is acquitted, will the feds pick up where anti-Paxton coalition leaves off? Only the shadow knows. -
By Bonnie Lyons, Legislative Committee Chair
As the impeachment trial of AG Ken Paxton slogs on, some Republican voters are waking to text messages, from a source self-identified as Texans Against Public Corruption (TAPC), which states these are political-advertisements paid for by the group.
The series purports to report on the trial with commentary very critical of Paxton. For the record, while Paxton long ago admitted to an affair, Paxton’s defense attorneys contend they have droves of evidence to disprove the allegations regarding renovations to his home.
Of course, input is of little use without some understanding of the source of comments. In this case, TAPC is a non-profit formed in June of this year, on the heels of the Paxton impeachment charges from the House of Representatives, which would seem to suggest a connection.
According to the Texas Secretary of State filings, the principals behind the organization are Chad Wilbanks, Chris Ford and Truman Tyrone Petty, Jr. Wilbanks is a lobbyist and a Republican political operative. Among those for whom he lobbies are Wind Energy Transmission Texas, 8Minute Solar, and Pew Charitable Trusts. He is a former Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas and ran against Matt Rinaldi unsuccessfully for the Chairman of that organization. In 2012, he ran an unsuccessful race in the primary for Congress. Unverified information suggests that he is affiliated with George P. Bush, who lost in his campaign against Paxton for AG in the last election.
In anticipation of this trial, Wilbanks was quoted in ABC news article as saying, "If you're going to have an affair on your spouse, what else are you going to do in business or politics? And I think that's really what the jurors have to look at as this trial moves forward in the Senate." That comment seems to fall in line with the comments in the TAPC texts.
Everyone is due their opinions on the guilt or innocence of our attorney general and the reasons that he has been caught up in the impeachment trend. But, the trial will play out and we shall see where the evidence falls without incendiary content pushed out to voters from interested parties. And making such comments from behind the cover of an organization does not lend credence to the discussion.
-
Statement from Matt Rinaldi, Chairman, Republican Party of Texas
The Senate's impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton began this week and has already raised questions about those trying to remove him from office.
A former top deputy, Jeff Mateer, who accused Paxton of unethical acts and abuse of office, was the first witness to take the stand. Under cross-examination, Mateer admitted to taking his concerns to the FBI without ever confirming with General Paxton if they were true. Mateer also said he deleted all of his text messages from his time in the AG’s office — leading many Texans to wonder, “What’s to hide?”
Paxton’s defense goes on to suggest Mateer was colluding with Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) to subvert the will of Texas voters, stage an organized coup, and potentially have George P. Bush appointed as Attorney General. Considering the testimony heard so far, that could sadly — yet very well — be the case.
Later in the week, another deputy, Ryan Vassar, who reported Ken Paxton to the FBI for supposed illegal actions, testified under oath that he and the 6 others who went to the FBI had NO EVIDENCE of any wrongdoing by General Paxton.
As Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, I stand firmly alongside Attorney General Ken Paxton. While I’ve said time and time again this impeachment trial is a complete sham, I’m grateful the truth is being put on full display. Texans deserve to know how the uni-party in Austin has been working to subvert them behind closed doors, and now, they finally are.
Defending Texas and Saving America,
Matt Rinaldi
Chairman, Republican Party of Texas
-
Ten Texas Republican Senators voted against the will of the voters to continue with the sham impeachment trial of AG Paxton. Two of the ten Republicans who voted against the voters will have to flip to a ‘no’ on conviction after trial for Paxton to survive.
-
Watch the trial live on the Texas Senate website.
-
The Montgomery County Republican Party joined several other Texas counties today in condemning the Texas House vote to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Party expresses its appreciation and gratitude to Representatives Steve Toth and Cecil Bell for voting against the impeachment of AG Ken Paxton.
-
Never in Texas history have we seen such a rushed and unfair impeachment process as was foisted upon the House in the waning hours of the 88th Legislative Session. House Speaker Dade Phelan surprised the body by revealing that there had been a months-long investigation into alleged misconduct of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for offenses that were said to have occurred in 2020.
-
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued a statement today following the Texas Senate’s passage of Senate Resolution 35, the rules for the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
-
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.
-
Speaker Dade Phelan and his team are joining with Democrats in an attempt to bring down the most effective Attorney General in the nation with a likely vote for impeachment in the Texas House this afternoon.
TAKE ACTION
We urge you to contact your Texas Senator and ask him/her to vote against the sham impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton. We need strong Conservatives and fighters in place to work for the people of Texas.
Senator Brandon Creighton (SD 4)
(512) 463-0104 (Austin Office)
(281) 292-4128 (District Office)
Send an email
Senator Paul Bettencourt (SD 7)
(512) 463-0107 (Austin Office)
(713) 464-0282 (District Office)
Send an email
Senator Lois Kolkhorst (SD 18)
(512) 463-0118 (Austin Office)
(979) 251-7888 (District Office)
Send an email