Attorney General Ken Paxton has returned to work after being acquitted by the Senate, but other state leaders are continuing their war over the attorney general’s unprecedented impeachment.
Paxton, having been suspended for around four months while awaiting his impeachment trial, explained that he was ready to resume carrying out his responsibilities at the Office of the Attorney General, per a statement received by The Dallas Express.
“It is my great honor to be back to work this week,” he said. “The Office of the Attorney General has redoubled our focus on countless issues facing the state, including opposing illegal immigration, defending election integrity, holding predatory corporations to account, and fighting for the rule of law against the Biden Administration’s executive overreach.”
He dismissed his impeachment and the subsequent trial as “wasteful and destructive political theater” and railed against President Joe Biden.
“Communities are being torn apart by his illegal alien invasion. Lives are being ruined by a justice system he has weaponized against his political opponents,” Paxton claimed. “Even here in Texas, many politicians are following Biden’s example, selfishly sacrificing [the] rule of law to serve their own interests.”
For his part, Speaker of the House Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) has continued his attacks against Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and state lawmakers who disagreed with the impeachment claims adopted by the House.
In a new opinion piece published by the Beaumont Enterprise, Phelan claimed, “[T]he evidence against Paxton presented to our chamber after a months-long investigation into allegations involving bribery, deceit and other types of disturbing misconduct, was more than damning, and our chamber overwhelmingly agreed that a further examination of the facts was merited.”
However, as reported by The Dallas Express, the House potentially violated state law by failing to hear any sworn testimony by the House General Investigating Committee, instead relying on the claims of taxpayer-funded investigators who detailed claims made by unsworn individuals they interviewed.
Phelan continued, suggesting that Patrick had been influenced by a campaign donation.
“Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who led us to believe he would preside over this trial in a fair and just manner, took a whopping $3 million donation from a Political Action Committee pushing for Paxton’s exoneration before the trial even began. … The fix was in from the start,” Phelan alleged.
In turn, Patrick slammed the speaker, posting on social media, “Dade Phelan orchestrated the House process from the outset. Phelan believed if the Senate convicts, the House was right — if the Senate acquits, then the Senate is corrupt.”
Defending the independence and integrity of the senators who acted as Paxton’s jury, Patrick said, “Every Senator put their hand on the Sam Houston Bible and took an oath to follow the law and evidence. No one in the House put their hand on the Bible when they cast their vote, nor did the Speaker. I respect each Senator’s vote no matter how they voted. The Speaker should do the same.”
Patrick went on to call the House’s impeachment process a “sham,” arguing that House prosecutors “simply couldn’t prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“For Dade Phelan to cry foul and question the integrity of the Senate jurors and of my office when his rushed, no-facts, no-record process failed to achieve the results he wanted is disgusting and proves he is unworthy of his leadership position,” Patrick concluded.
Since Paxton’s acquittal by the Senate, calls across the state and nation have grown for Phelan to resign, as reported by The Dallas Express.