AG Paxton Aftermath: Part 2
This is the second article in a three-part series on the aftermath of Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial.
October 12, 2023 | Austin, TX
by Jon Bouché, Vice Chairman, Montgomery County Republican Party
After the not guilty verdict was read and entered into the official record, thus exonerating Attorney General Ken Paxton in the impeachment trial, it left many wondering what was going to happen next.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who had been relatively silent throughout the impeachment process and only spoke in his capacity as the judge during the trial, gave a scathing post verdict statement in which he eviscerated the State House for this spectacle of an impeachment trial.
Undeterred and unembarrassed by their defeat, House Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Dist. 53) and other members of the House Investigating Committee doubled down in their vitriol against AG Paxton after the Lt. Governor’s statement. Rep. Murr, of course, shut down comments on his Facebook post.
House Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Dist. 67), who invoked the name of God while betraying AG Paxton during his closing remarks prior to the verdict being read, then posted a short video after Paxton was exonerated. The video showed a football team in a locker room chanting “we are ready for you,” which is obviously a message to someone, but to whom?
Since the Senate has no power to issue sanctions against a House Member, could Rep. Leach really be telling the voters in his own House District that he is ready for them, as he is certain to draw a well-deserved Primary challenger? Following the verdict, Rep. Leach has been posting his responses on X (formerly Twitter) to being called a RINO by those referred to in the posts as the “right-wing” of the Republican Party.
AG Paxton Responds
After the trial concluded, AG Paxton, who had been under a gag order throughout the trial, was finally able to speak to the misinformation that was being spread about him in the media by some House members.
In his interview with former FOX anchor, Tucker Carlson, AG Paxton described the coordinated effort to attack him, and it was shocking.
He explained that those seeking to depose him waited until after a very costly and contentious re-election to bring these bogus charges against him as they clearly assumed that Paxton would not have the financial resources to defend himself. At the same time, State Comptroller Glenn Hegar put a stop on Paxton’s paycheck, putting an even greater financial burden on Paxton.
On October 9, Paxton filed criminal complaints against each of the House Impeachment Managers for releasing his family’s personal address as “additional evidence” weeks after the trial had ended. A new law, House Bill 611, which went into effect on September 1, makes the malicious doxxing of an individual on the internet punishable by up to six months in jail.
Whistleblowers Case Allowed to Continue
After the verdict, the Texas Supreme Court ruled on September 29 that the lawsuit between the so-called “whistleblowers” and AG Paxton must be allowed to move forward in district court despite Paxton’s exoneration by the Senate. So it is clear that Paxton’s legal problems are far from over in Texas, and there is still a federal investigation that has been ongoing for the last few years.
The Changing Political Landscape
Trump and Paxton are both disrupters to a corrupt system so it’s not surprising that both would be targeted. While President Trump is certainly the most hated by the Uniparty, it looks like AG Paxton has secured the #2 spot on that “most hated” list. As soon as Paxton was reinstated to his office, he immediately got back to work fighting for election integrity, border security, and against Big Pharma and Big Tech. On October 6, Paxton announced that he will actively campaign against liberal Republican incumbents across the state.
But, alas, a new contender for the “most hated” title has just entered the fray and his name is Congressman Matt Gaetz, who along with seven other Republican U.S. House Members, led the historic and successful effort to remove Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.
The political landscape is changing, folks, so hold onto your hats because it’s most certainly going to be a very bumpy ride.
