Lawyers for suspended Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday filed a motion to dismiss all but one of the impeachment charges against him, saying voters knew about his wrongdoing allegations when he was elected. bottom.
Paxton was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives on May 27 in a bipartisan vote of 121-23. priceThe content ranges from abuse of power to bribery in relation to his relationship with wealthy real estate developer Nathan Paul. On Monday, Paxton’s lawyers filed a complaint. motion In the Texas Senate, trial Impeachment proceedings will be launched to dismiss 19 charges against him, according to filings. (Related: Texas House votes to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton)
Paxton’s attorneys argue that all of the charges in the complaint were known to voters long before Paxton was re-elected for his current term. Paxton has been Texas attorney general since 2015 and has been elected three times, including high-profile primaries such as Texas land secretary. George P. Bushthe nephew and grandson of former Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, respectively.
Today, I submitted a motion to rescind and a motion for detailed legislation. “Unconstitutional ambiguous provisions must be repealed until the House can comply with the Constitutions of Texas and the United States.” (1 of 4)
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) July 26, 2023
“With one exception, the[impeachment]clause makes no claim that Texas voters had not heard from the Attorney General’s political opponents for years…the basis for Article 19 of the clause. The alleged act took place before the recent election of attorney general and was a very serious act that was “publicized,” Paxton’s attorneys wrote. In addition, Mr. Paxton’s attorneys have submitted a motion to the state Senate to exclude all evidence prior to the start of Mr. Paxton’s third term in office in January 2023.
One article of impeachment that Paxton’s defense team left out of the submission was Article VIII. Settlement of $3.3 million Paxton contacted former employees at the office and sued him for wrongful termination after they were allegedly fired for whistleblowing against him, the people said. The settlement funds were to be raised by the legislature out of public funds. Rejected make it suitable for its purpose.
The settlement, and Paxton’s request for public funds to pay for it, led to the Texas House General Inquiry Committee launching an investigation into Paxton, leading to the current impeachment proceedings.
Paxton and his lawyers are ‘under strict regulation’gag orderTexas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, the president of the state Senate, has ordered the press not to discuss any aspect of the case, according to the lieutenant governor’s website. According to the Texas Tribune, Patrick said his “out-of-court statements” could jeopardize his trial.
According to the Texas Tribune, Mr. Paxton’s attorneys called the state House impeachment administrators “aggressive, reckless and misleading,” with “little or no evidence” to support their claims against the state attorney general. inviting,” he criticized.
The impeachment process has received a lot of national attention, given Paxton’s high-profile legal challenges to the Biden administration.paxton is sued He has been in charge of government and led litigation on various national policies, especially immigration issues. texas vs pennsylvaniawhich was the primary challenge Regarding the results of the 2020 presidential election considered by the Supreme Court.
The process is complicated by the fact that Mr. Paxton’s wife, Angela Paxton, is a Republican state senator with the power to vote for his impeachment, along with allegations about his infidelity. Although she won’t vote on the charges, she plans to attend the trial, which she may miss, lowering the two-thirds standard required for conviction.
“Failing to beat the Attorney General in the polls, the architects of this impeachment swiftly introduced and passed 20 articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives in just three days. contains unsubstantiated, ambiguous and irrelevant allegations of non-impeachable conduct,” a spokesperson for Paxton told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Patrick did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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