While the rest of the country is distracted by the ongoing drama of the still-unsettled presidential race, the Associated Press has just broken a story that could put yet another nail in the coffin of Texas’ top lawyer and dedicated homophobe, Attorney General Ken Paxton.

According to the AP, Paxton had an extramarital affair with a woman, an aide for a GOP state senator, and then got that woman a job with Austin developer Nate Paul, a wealthy campaign donor. It was Paxton’s decision to investigate Paul’s claims that a federal judge and the FBI broke the law in searches of his home and offices last year that prompted seven of Paxton’s top OAG attorneys, including then-First Assistant AG Jeff Mateer, to resign from their jobs in October after reporting Paxton to federal officials for bribery, abuse of office and other crimes.

Two sources, who spoke with AP on condition of anonymity due to fears of retaliation, said that Paxton acknowledged the affair in 2018 to senior members of his office and political staff, claiming to have ended the affair already.

While being deposed by lawyers in a civil case against one of his companies on Monday, Nov. 2, Paul acknowledged that the woman now works for him as a project manager and that Paxton had recommended her for the job.

Paxton, by the way, Paxton is still awaiting trial on securities fraud charges in a case that has been stalled for years over legal challenges.

Read AP’s full story here.

— Tammye Nash