New documents released more than 80 days after the completion of the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton show that the trial cost taxpayers over $4.3 million.
This figure included roughly $3.3 million in total that was billed to the Texas House of Representatives, with more than 7,800 hours worked by 24 different lawyers, according to documents released to The Dallas Morning News.
Taxpayers will be charged with paying the entirety of the bill, which included hours worked for both the impeachment trial and a separate but related lawsuit, as well as the salary of an attorney who assisted Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the trial.
Co-lead counsel Dick DeGuerin commented on the expense of the trial, claiming that he and co-lead counsel Rusty Hardin worked for a below-average rate of $500 an hour during the extent of the process.
“Everything we did was justified and I won’t retreat from that statement ever,” DeGuerin said, per the DMN.
“We presented strong evidence that Paxton just surrendered the power of his office in a corrupt way. It’s just that his financial supporters threatened retaliation against the Republicans that would have voted for conviction.”
Phelan has also defended the overall cost of the trial, stating that the trial “shed a clear, unflinching light on who Paxton is and the lengths to which he will go to stay in power.”
“The Texas House will continue to faithfully fulfill its obligation to protect the integrity of our institutions and safeguard the public’s trust,” he added, per The Texas Tribune.
In contrast, Patrick stated that the Senate spent much less than the House during the trial, claiming that the total is “roughly $435,000, including the printing of the trial record for an estimated $138,000.”
“Now, it is clear that the Senate protected taxpayer money while Dade Phelan and the House spent like drunken sailors on shore leave,” added Patrick in a statement published by the Tribune.
Following the announcement of the price tag, Paxton released a statement commenting that “[t]his is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Whether it’s the House costs, Senate costs, or overall impeachment session costs, many millions more were incurred on Dade Phelan’s sham and needless impeachment,” Paxton wrote on social media.
“All of this is due to Dade’s ineffective leadership and unwillingness to govern like a conservative. Voters need to send Dade and any Representative supporting Dade home in the upcoming primary. We need effective leadership in the House that quits embarrassing Texas and is focused on making Texas a beacon of freedom, enterprise, and opportunity.”
Paxton’s impeachment trial revolved around claims that the attorney general abused his power to protect and benefit Nate Paul, a friend and political donor of Paxton.
The Texas House of Representatives drafted 20 Articles of Impeachment against the attorney general, resulting in a 121-23 vote by the House to impeach.
Following the vote to impeach the attorney general, the Senate acquitted Paxton on 16 of the 20 impeachment articles filed against him, and the remaining four charges were dismissed.
