Impeachment Trial of the Attorney General Ken Paxton (Sep. 8, AM)

Texas AG Ken Paxton has faced allegations of wrongdoing and legal troubles for years. He was indicted on securities fraud counts in 2015, and his own staff reported him to the FBI for suspected corruption in 2020 over his dealings with Nate Paul, a donor and real estate investor. After whistleblowers sued and Paxton struck a $3.3 million settlement, House members began investigating the whistleblowers' claims in secret before impeaching Paxton on May 27 on 20 articles of impeachment. The Senate however is only considering 16 of the 20. The House voted 121-23 to approve the articles of impeachment, with 60 Republicans and 61 Democrats voting in favor. All votes against were by Republicans

According to the articles, Paxton used his power and office to help Paul work through legal difficulties. They also accuse him of accepting bribes in the form of renovations to his home and a job for a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair. The articles say that when confronted allegations of wrongdoing, Paxton retaliated against whistleblowers in his office and spent government money trying to cover up his wrongdoing with a sham investigation into their claims.

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