Impeachment against an attorney general is an unprecedented move. If the articles of impeachment prove successful, he will go down in history as the first impeachment by a legislature.
According to the Daily Caller, the Texas House General Investigating Committee unanimously voted on Thursday to recommend impeaching Ken Paxton. The vote occurred during a special session on Thursday after Paxton asked state officials to spend $3.3 million.
Paxton reportedly asked state officials to spend the funds to end a lawsuit by his former staff accusing him of retaliation.
May 28, 2023
The House has until May 29 to decide whether to move forward with the recommended articles of impeachment. The legislative session ends on that date.
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The chief of general litigation for the attorney general's office, Chris Hilton, tried to stop the committee from meeting. He demanded that the committee was "trying to thwart the will of the voters."
Hilton said:
"The people deserve to hear from this office in the context of this investigation." He continued, "The voters want Ken Paxton, and this committee - by investigating him, by not allowing us to be heard here today, by never reaching out to us at any time during this investigative process - is trying to thwart the will of the voters. We deserve to [be] heard here today."
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Meanwhile, Paxton demanded Texas House Speaker Dade Phalen's resignation after accusing him of intoxication while conducting legislative business. Phalen slurred his words as he spoke during the late-night House session. Onlookers wondered whether he was under the influence or having a stroke.
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Paxton took his seat as the state's Attorney General in 2015 as a self-described Tea Party Conservative. Before his election to the role of Attorney General, he served as a Texas Senator. He has been under indictment since 2015 on state securities fraud charges that occurred before taking office. No conviction or trial has resulted from these charges.
The F.B.I. has an open investigation from a whistleblower who accused him of bribery. Paxton denies all wrongdoing.
According to the Texas Tribune, if a majority of the House approves the measure for impeachment before the May 29 deadline, state senators will convene a special session to launch an investigation.
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