OAN’s James Meyers
11:25 AM – Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Texas’ Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to begin his impeachment trial on Tuesday, which was brought on by his own state senators from his own political party.
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Paxton (R-Texas) faces 16 articles of impeachment that accuses him of bribery, dereliction of duty and disregard of official duty. This comes after the Attorney General has faced criminal investigations, legal battles and accusations of corruption for many years in the position.
He will become the third person to face an impeachment trial in the history of the Texas legislature.
Paxton is considered a close ally of former President Donald Trump, he led several lawsuits in the 2020 presidential election results in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin, which showed a victory for now President Joe Biden.
Paxton’s attorneys claim the impeachment accusations are baseless and Paxton himself has said the trial is a “political motivated sham,” and an effort to lose his voters.
Additionally, Paxton won a third term despite criminal state charges against him and an ongoing FBI investigation.
The impeachment vote is based on Paxton’s former deputies’ claims of the attorney general having a relationship with a real estate investor who reciprocated with favors, and hiring a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair with.
The attorney general faces a trial by a jury, which includes all 31 state senators and a judge, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick who donated $125,000 to his last re-election campaign. Paxton’s wife, Senator Angela Paxton (R-Texas) will attend the trial but will not be allowed to participate or vote.
A two-thirds majority vote is required for conviction, which would mean if all 12 Senate Democrats vote against Paxton, they would need nine of the 19 Republicans to vote the same way.
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