Texas might actually impeach Ken Paxton

Karen wrote about this yesterday, but now it looks like it might really be happening as soon as today. It’s one thing for the Texas House Committee on General Investigating to recommend impeachment proceedings against State Attorney General Ken Paxton, but it’s another thing entirely for the entire House to immediately take up the issue and move toward a vote. And yet that’s exactly what happened. They are expected to take up the measure this afternoon in a special session with a vote coming as soon as this evening. Paxton would need a significant number of members of his own party to defect from the effort in order to avoid being suspended from office until the Senate takes him to trial. And at least so far, it doesn’t sound like he has many supporters left. (Associated Press)

Texas’ GOP-led House of Representatives was set to hold historic impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday as the scandal-plagued Republican called on supporters to protest a vote that could lead to his ouster.

The House scheduled an afternoon start for debate on whether to impeach and suspend Paxton from office over allegations of bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust — just some of the accusations that have trailed Texas’ top lawyer for most of his three terms.

The hearing sets up what could be a remarkably sudden downfall for one of the GOP’s most prominent legal combatants, who in 2020 asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Joe Biden’s electoral defeat of President Donald Trump.

Paxton has been a fixture in Texas politics for a very long time. And rumors of potential lawbreaking have followed him around for almost the entire time. Not living in the state, I was never sure if he was legitimately up to no good or if these were rumors spread by his political opponents. But these charges seem serious.

Impeachment may be the least of his worries. Paxton could be looking at significant jail time if he’s eventually found guilty of the charges being brought against him. He could be convicted of everything from securities fraud to bribery. A number of his donors and supporters have allegedly done very well for themselves thanks to some allegedly inappropriate and potentially illegal help from his office. And the total jail time, if he’s guilty, could run from five years to as many as 99.

Paxton is still insisting this is all political theater and calling for protests in the Capitol in support of his innocence.

Paxton at a news conference in which he declined to answer questions called the impeachment proceedings “political theater” that he said would “inflict lasting damage on the Texas House.”

“I want to invite my fellow citizens and friends to peacefully come let their voices be heard at the Capitol tomorrow,” he said.

“Exercise your right to petition your government.”

Paxton isn’t entirely without supporters in this matter. Yesterday, state GOP chairman Matt Rinaldi called the impeachment proceedings “a sham.” A few other members of the state party have similarly spoken in his defense. But inside the Texas House, support has been muted at best. Local reporters on the scene have described his chances of escaping impeachment as “grim.” For many years now, Ken Paxton seemed to be a man made of Teflon, always staying one step ahead of his detractors. That run may be coming to an end tonight.