Attorney General Ken Paxton (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick released rules for the upcoming Ken Paxton trial that includes a gag order for anyone involved. That includes the Texas Senate’s 31 members as well as Paxton and his team.
Several Democratic senators have expressed their distaste for Paxton. But, like him or not, Paxton deserves a fair trial in the Senate and Democratic senators have stopped making public comments.
Paxton, however, hasn’t been abiding by the Senate’s rules. In his latest fundraising campaign — taking a page out of the Trump fundraising handbook of monetizing your indictments — Paxton called the impeachment “illegal” and trial a “kangaroo court.” And “blind loyalty to Speaker Dade Phelan is more important than upholding their oath of office,” Paxton’s fundraising material says about the Republican-controlled House of Representatives that overwhelmingly voted to impeach the Repubilcan attorney general.
Unless he’s made that many Republicans in the Senate angry, the jury is stacked in Paxton’s favor with 19 out of 31 senators from his own party. (Actually 18 that will serve as jurors. Sen. Angela Paxton, his wife, will be recused because of a glaring conflict of interest). Rather than antagonize the Senate, he should be quietly putting together a solid defense.
In Texas history, only three officials have been impeached and two were removed from office. In 1917, Gov. James (Pa) Ferguson was impeached and removed for embezzlement. In 1975, State District Judge O.P. Carillo was removed and spent three years in jail after he was convicted of putting Duval County employees to work on his ranch and stealing funds meant for groceries for the poor. The third is Paxton, whose trial begins in September.
— David Taffet
