Members of the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, 60, Saturday.
Earlier this week, a group of state representatives proposed House Bill 2377 calling for Paxton to be impeached. It includes 20 articles of impeachment.
Listen to the impeachment vote here at 1 p.m. CT:
These articles alleged that the attorney general: failed to protect a charitable organization, abused the opinion process, abused the open records process, misused official information, disregarded his official duty in several ways, misapplied public resources and more.
"That’s a pretty comprehensive list of concerns that are alarming to hear,” said Andrew Murr (R-53), one of the sponsors of the bill, according to the Austin-American Statesman. “It curls my moustache.”
Paxton, also a Republican, was first elected as attorney general in 2014 and was reelected in 2018 and 2022. Prior to his tenure as the state’s top law enforcement official, Paxton worked as an attorney. He was also in the state House for a decade and then elected to the Senate in 2012. This month Paxton made headlines for challenging President Joe Biden’s Title 42 decision.
A statement from Republican Party of Texas Chair Matt Rinaldi posted Friday on Twitter called the impeachment a “sham” and said it was the result of Speaker Dade Phelan (R-21) “empowering” Democrats. Some members of the Texas House argued Saturday that there was not enough notice about the allegations against Paxton.
Paxton will have to leave office immediately and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would be able to appoint an interim replacement. The Texas House has only impeached two sitting officials in the past – Gov. James Ferguson in 1917 and state Judge O.P. Carrillo in 1975, according to the Associated Press.
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