Following the acquittal of Attorney General Ken Paxton by the Texas Senate, key Republican members of the Texas House have voiced their support for the grassroots activists who denounced the impeachment.
Notably, several conservative stalwarts have left the Texas Freedom Caucus, citing their disagreements with how the House handled the impeachment process.
Rep. Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands) announced on September 19 that he would be leaving the caucus over the Paxton impeachment. He was one of the 23 members of the House to vote against impeachment.
“The Texas Freedom Caucus is feckless and it’s lost its way. It doesn’t know what it stands for anymore,” Toth said, according to The Texan.
As reported by The Dallas Express, the investigative process conducted by the House General Investigating Committee under Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Junction) may have violated the standards set out in the Texas legal code. Meanwhile, the rush to bring the issue to a vote by House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) seemingly violated historical precedent.
Toth was later joined by Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth), who announced his departure from the Freedom Caucus on October 2.
“I’m very excited to see the grassroots uniting like never before following the acquittal of Ken Paxton,” the representative said. “One thing is clear, we have to fight to reform the Texas House.”
“The status quo is leading us down a path of division and obstruction. I appreciate my colleagues in the Texas Freedom Caucus and look forward to voting with them on many conservative policies next session,” he added.
“However, I’m announcing today my decision to leave the Texas Freedom Caucus and begin the necessary work of bringing everyone in our state, party, and chamber together who is willing to push back against liberal influence in the Texas House,” Schatzline concluded. “We must fight, and next session, we will fight!”
The next session of the Texas Legislature will begin on October 9, as indicated by Gov. Greg Abbott. It is expected to focus on school choice and border security.
Toth applauded Schatzline’s decision, saying, “I have so much respect for Nate Schatzline. Most Freshman Representatives come into the House and are very passive, not knowing when to take a stand on the big issues before Texas.”
“Not so with Nate,” Toth continued. “He was strong, decisive, wise and made his presence known for the Conservatives who sent him to the House.”
Since Paxton’s impeachment and subsequent acquittal, tensions have remained high between members of the Republican Party who sought the attorney general’s removal and those who thought the House failed to prove its case.
County-level Republican organizations have passed resolutions condemning both Murr and Phelan for their roles in advancing impeachment. The Texas Republican Party has even called on Phelan to resign, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Phelan dug in and lashed out at critics of the impeachment, claiming the Senate acquittal was rigged by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
“[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,” he said, as reported by The Dallas Express.
“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.