The Texas State Senate found Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) not guilty of all charges against him. The charges had been brought by the Texas House of Representatives through impeachment found him suspended until the end of his Senate trial.
Paxton was impeached on 16 charges earlier this year regarding allegations of public corruption.
None of the accusations against Paxton received the 21 votes needed to remove him from office. Several of the charges found 14 of the 30 members voting in favor of charges, including two Republicans.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said that the attorney general “received a fair trial as required by the Texas Constitution. I look forward to continuing to work with the Attorney General to secure the border and protect Texas from federal overreach.”
Tony Buzbee, attorney for the attorney general, criticized some members of Paxton’s party for supporting the effort against him. “I would suggest to you this is a political witch hunt,” he said. “I would suggest to you that this trial has displayed, for the country to see, a partisan fight within the Republican Party.”
My statement on today’s Senate acquittal vote: pic.twitter.com/XZrbfEB5ny
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) September 16, 2023
Furthermore, in a statement made Saturday, Paxton said that “the truth prevailed. The truth could not be buried by mudslinging politicians or their powerful benefactors.” He thanked his “amazing wife Angela, who I love dearly.”
He called her a “brave woman of deep faith, unquestionable integrity and the light of our entire family.”
State Sen. Angela Paxton (R) did not vote in the conviction trial.
Paxton blamed the “sham impeachment” as being “coordinated by the Biden administration” with Republican state officials.
He said that the “kangaroo court has cost taxpayers millions of dollars, disrupted the work of the Office of Attorney General and left a dark and permanent stain on the Texas House.”
The attorney general also said that he would be speaking to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson next week.
Paxton was accused of influence peddling and an extramarital affair. The attorney general is also under an active FBI investigation after a number of his staffers reported him for potential wrongdoing. He also is facing charges related to alleged felony securities fraud.
