The by the GOP majority House was 121-23……
The guy won’t be able to work until a trial by the State Senate on the charges…..
And somewhere in the background could be the Federal Indictment handed up against Paxton a few years ago?
Right now there is no indication on how the state’s Senate might go to convict him of the charges and terminate his employment as Attorney General….But we now have Donald Trump and Ted Cruz out saying they has Paxton’s back….Read below for the Senate situation…..
Texas GOP Governor Abbott will assign someone to the Attorney General Office until the situation is resolved…
The speed of this has shaken the Republicans in that state…..
But NOT the state’s House lawmakers….
Paxton, who has been under various investigations for years, had dismissed the impeachment effort as “political theater” based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims” and an attempt to disenfranchise voters who elected him to a third term last November.
Many of the allegations that form the basis of the articles of impeachment surfaced in 2020, when Paxton’s top aides accused him of abuse of office to benefit a wealthy donor. They reported their concerns to the F.B.I., which began an investigation, although no charges were filed. Four of the aides were fired and filed suit alleging retaliation….
An attorney general had never before been impeached by the Legislature, an extraordinary step that lawmakers have reserved for public officials who faced serious allegations of misconduct. Only two Texas officials have been removed from office by Senate conviction, Gov. James Ferguson in 1917 and District Judge O.P. Carrillo in 1975.
If Paxton is to survive, he will need to secure the support of 11 senators. With the 12 Democratic senators likely to support his removal, votes for acquittal would need to come from the 19 Republican members.
None has publicly defended Paxton. In a television interview Thursday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, said merely that he believed senators would be responsible jurors and “do their duty.”
A complicating factor is Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, Paxton’s wife. State law requires all senators to attend an impeachment trial, though whether she will recuse herself from voting is unclear.
Paxton’s political base lies in the far-right faction of the Republican Party, where he has positioned himself as a champion of conservative causes and a thorn in the side of Democratic President Joe Biden. Paxton has criticized his opponents as RINOs (Republicans in name only) who “want nothing more than to sabotage our legal challenges to Biden’s extremist agenda by taking me out.”
He also retained the backing of the state Republican Party, led by former state Rep. Matt Rinaldi, who frequently attacks Republicans he considers to be insufficiently conservative. On Friday, Rinadi said the impeachment was Phelan’s fault for allowing Democrats to have too much influence in the House…..
In a historic vote, an overwhelming majority of Texas House members voted Saturday to impeach embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton. Most Republican and Democratic members of the House voted for Paxton’s impeachment, which took place after several hours of debate.
Here’s the vote breakdown:
How the Texas House voted on Ken Paxton’s impeachment
There were 149* Texas House members eligible to vote. A majority was needed to impeach.
———-Total Rep. Dem.
Support 121 60 61
Against 23 23 0
Present 2 1 1
Absent 3 1 2
The Texas Tribune
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/27/ken-paxton-texas-house-impeachment-vote/
That’s over 5-1 overall to impeach: 60 out of 85 Republicans and 61 out of 64 Democrats.
Even Republicans voted to Stop the Steal !
It WILL BE up to Texas Senate to actually cancel his employment…..
The charges against Paxton provided to the House committee:
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/24/ken-paxton-abuse-power-house-investigation-texas/
General news about the impeachment proceedings and reactions:
https://www.texastribune.org/series/ken-paxton-impeachment-texas-attorney-general/
It will be up to the Texas Senate lawmakers if Paxton gets convicted and fired…..
The reports are that this also has a political dynamic in Democrats AND some Republicans saying ‘fuck you’ to Governor Abbott…..
It HAS toi be VERY embarrassing
Paxton news…..
The FBI on Thursday arrested a businessman at the center of the scandal that led to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s historic impeachment, a move that came amid new questions about the men’s dealings raised by financial records the Republican’s lawyers made public to try to clear him of bribery allegations.
Nate Paul, 36, was taken into custody by federal agents and booked into an Austin jail in the afternoon, according to Travis County Sheriff’s Office records. It was not immediately clear what charges led to his arrest, but the records showed he was being held on a federal detainer for a felony….
More…
Texas’ Senate voted Wednesday to start state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial on Sept. 5 and to bar his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, from voting on the historic proceedings.
Driving the news: The Republican-controlled chamber approved rules prohibiting Angela Paxton from voting due to conflict of interest concerns.
She had issued a statement earlier this week announcing her intention to vote at the impeachment trial.
The big picture: The GOP-dominated Texas House voted to impeach Paxton in May over allegations of bribery, obstruction of justice and abuse of public trust. He denies any wrongdoing….
More…