Texas Republicans turned on each other Saturday afternoon after the Texas Senate voted to acquit Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton faces charges ranging from bribery to extramarital affairs.
The Republican-led state Senate voted to acquit Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment he faced, with only two Republicans, state Sens. Robert Nichols and Kelly Hancock, crossing party lines to vote to acquit him. Conservative attorney general convicted. The charges against Paxton include corruption, misuse of official information, abuse of power and retaliation.
His suspension comes months after the state House of Representatives, also led by Republicans, voted overwhelmingly 121 to 23 to impeach him.
Paxton is specifically accused of abusing his power to interfere with the investigation into real estate investor Nate Paul. He was also accused of trying to help a woman with whom he allegedly had an extramarital affair find a job. He has denied any wrongdoing and denounced the impeachment charges as politically motivated.
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Texas Republican Party Chairman Matt Rinaldi previously predicted “an all-out Republican civil war” if Paxton is convicted in an interview with local news station WFAA You all have inflammatory diseases podcast. He said he believed many Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton could be vulnerable to primary challenges.
“I do see a lot of these members being vulnerable in the next primary, and I think Republican voters are very interested in this issue,” Rinaldi said.
In a statement released after the vote, Paxton celebrated the Senate acquittal and lashed out at Republican Speaker Dade Phelan, who previously led the impeachment vote.
“The Biden administration’s sham impeachment vote, coordinated with liberal House Speaker Dade Phelan and his kangaroo court, has cost taxpayers millions, disrupted the work of the attorney general’s office, and cost Texas A permanent dark stain has been left on the state House of Representatives,” he wrote. “Weaponizing the impeachment process to resolve political differences is not only wrong, it is unethical and corrupt.”
Phelan, on the other hand, criticized the Senate for not convicting Paxton in its own statement.
“Unfortunately, the outcome of this process will ultimately hand control of the nation’s top law enforcement agency to an individual who, in my opinion, has clearly abused his power to the detriment of his agency and its employees, and for his own protection and benefit No effort was spared,” he wrote.
He added that the vote “is not the end of this matter” as Paxton continues to face other lawsuits and investigations. He issued a warning to Republican senators who voted against Paxton’s conviction.
“If new facts continue to emerge, those who allowed him to remain in office will have a lot to answer for,” Phelan wrote in the statement.
Some conservatives attacked Nichols and Hancock for voting against Paxton.Conservative commentator and attorney Logan O’Handley wrote in the post Social media platform Main characters in District 9.”
Weekly newspaper Nichols and Hancock were contacted for comment via email.
