AUSTIN — The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton kicks off this morning.
The historic proceedings, the first for a statewide elected official in Texas since 1917, will be held at the Texas Senate in the state Capitol. The chamber is rearranged to resemble a courtroom, with a witness stand and tables for the prosecution and defense.
The Texas House, including a majority of its GOP members, voted to impeach Paxton for alleged corruption in May. They sent 20 articles of impeachment against the state’s top lawyer — which accuse him of abuse of office, bribery and obstruction of justice — to the Texas Senate, whose members will sit as the jury to determine the validity of the allegations.
Arguably one of the most well-known state attorneys general in the country, Paxton has grown his public profile by suing to block Obama and Biden administration policies and advancing conservative laws in Texas.
A close ally of Donald Trump, who’s criticized the impeachment, Paxton has called the trial a political sham and likened it to the former president’s legal troubles.
Paxton, a third-term Republican, faces possible removal and disqualification from office. He does not face any criminal penalties, such as prison time, if convicted by lawmakers in this trial. He is suspended without pay pending the proceeding’s outcome.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/TDZTU4ATSN4UP7DP7AHQEFUTAI.jpg)
Paxton wants the impeachment articles thrown out. The Senate jurors could choose to vote on his motions to dismiss first thing Tuesday.
If they grant Paxton’s request, the impeachment trial could end right then. If they choose to go forward, the Senate has several other housekeeping items to complete before proceedings officially get underway, including agreeing to trial rules and swearing in witnesses.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will serve as the presiding officer.
Three private lawyers hired by the House managers, a bipartisan group of a dozen state representatives, will present the prosecution. Paxton has assembled a defense team, including six employees on leave from his agency, to present his case.
The outcome of the impeachment trial could impact the criminal and civil legal troubles facing Paxton. In addition to impeachment, Paxton also faces multiple state fraud indictments, a whistleblower lawsuit, an open FBI investigation and a state bar disciplinary case.
