On Monday, the Texas House handed off the articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton to the state Senate.
The House voted 121-23 over the weekend to impeach Paxton for allegations of bribery and abuse while in office. He was suspended from his perch as a result, and the trial is set to take place no later than Aug. 28.
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“The TX House’s impeachment was based on totally false claims. After an internal investigation, the OAG retained an outside law firm to further investigate, which culminated in a report. The OAG offered it to the House, but they refused,” Paxton’s office previously said of the impeachment proceedings.
To be convicted in the state Senate, a two-thirds majority will have to vote in favor — otherwise, Paxton will remain in office. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX), who is the president of the state Senate, will preside over those proceedings as judge.
House Speaker Dade Phelan selected five Democrats and seven Republicans to serve as representatives in the impeachment trial. They delivered the impeachment articles to the state Senate Monday after being named.
The GOP-led General Investigating Committee unanimously backed 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton, levying an array of accusations of wrongdoing against him. This includes accusations that he gave a political donor who bribed him favorable treatment, made false statements, obstructed justice, and more.
Paxton is also facing a federal investigation against him. He has adamantly denied wrongdoing and pointed to a report from a private law firm “finding no violations of the law or agency procedure.”
Several prominent Republicans have recoiled at the proceedings against him, including former President Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
“What is happening to @KenPaxtonTX is a travesty. For the last nine years, Ken has been the strongest conservative AG in the country. Bar none. No attorney general has battled the abuses of the Biden admin more ferociously — and more effectively — than has Paxton,” Cruz tweeted.
Republicans control both chambers of the Texas state legislature.
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Now that the state Senate has approved plans to hold trial proceedings against Paxton, a panel will begin crafting procedural rules for it. It is expected to present recommendations for those rules by June 20.
Paxton ascended to his post back in 2015 and quickly became a darling among conservatives for taking on high-profile cases battling Democrats on a range of fronts, such as abortion, the Affordable Care Act, immigration, and more.
