AUSTIN (Fwrd Axis) — Impeached Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted on 16 impeachment articles on Saturday, putting an end to years-long investigations into allegations of corruption.
“Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. is hereby, at this moment, reinstated to office,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Republican president of the Senate.
The vote was strictly on party lines as Paxton’s party voted to not remove him from office despite voting to impeach him in May. The verdict comes following a two-week trial and a day of deliberations behind closed doors.
The articles of impeachment against Paxton included accepting bribes from, and giving legal assistance to, campaign donor Nate Paul. He was also accused of improperly firing employees who reported his actions to federal authorities, lying about his actions, and misusing government funds to dispute their allegations.
Paxton first rose to power after being a part of former President Barack Obama’s administration, and later as a main ally of former President Donald Trump’s administration.
Following the verdict, Patrick blasted the Texas House for quickly pushing Paxton’s impeachment through that chamber, calling for an amendment to amend the impeachment process.
“Our founders expected better. It should have never happened this year, and hopefully it doesn’t again,” he said.
Paxton’s supporters, including Trump, promised that any Republicans who voted against the attorney general would be primaried and lose their seats in the next election.
Paxton denied wrongdoing throughout the trial and his legal team said the attorney general did not accept any bribes despite testimony from seven former senior Paxton aides, who said they were concerned about Paxton’s actions so much that they went to the FBI.
“I went to the FBI because I believed based on my experience over the previous nine months that the attorney general had abandoned his obligation to work on behalf of the interests of the people,” Ryan Bangert, a former top aide to Paxton, said in sworn testimony.
Paxton’s win in court comes ahead concern in Donald Trump’s trials, which begin next year.
