Facing bribery charges and a federal investigation, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is now fighting back. He released a statement addressed to the 'citizens of Texas' calling the criminal accusations leveled by his top seven aides against him "overblown, based on assumptions".
In October Paxton's aides sent a letter to the FBI calling for a federal criminal investigation into Paxton's dealings with wealthy campaign donor, Nate Paul. They wrote to the FBI that they have "a good faith belief that Paxton is violating federal and state law." They believe Paxton's guilty of bribery and abuse of office in connection with his efforts to shield Paul from a federal investigation.
Those that thought this latest scandal would force Paxton to resign were quickly proven wrong by his statement. RICE University Political Scientist Mark Jones referred to Paxton's statement as "decidedly un-apologetic." Jones said, "I think he's just trying to set a narrative in the minds of Republican primary voters that not only did he do nothing wrong, he's actually being punished for being too conservative and doing too many things that they view as right." Paxton is up for re-election in 2022.
University of Houston Political Scientist Brandon Rottinghaus suggests that Paxton needed to respond to the accusations since they're coming from his own hand-picked GOP lawyers. "When you've got people who were on your side and you're closest of allies who have turned on you for this reason, it makes it seem like it's credible," said Rottinghaus. "And as a result, he's gotta be able to speak out about it."
Paxton's statement:
"To the citizens of Texas:
If you relied only on recent headlines, you might not know that the Office of the Texas Attorney General is among the best in the United States. Just this week, the Child Support Division, under my leadership, surpassed $4.8 billion in collections, more than any other state in the nation. We continue – uninterrupted – to protect consumers, advocate for crime victims, lead the battle against human trafficking and provide superior legal representation on behalf of the state of Texas.
After reviewing the claims made by former employees of this office, their allegations are overblown, based upon assumptions, and to a large degree misrepresent the facts. Unfortunately, these attorneys chose to air their grievances through the media and through the courts, rather than established and objective internal processes. Given these circumstances, we will be fully prepared to address these allegations through the judicial system, if necessary.
Unfortunately, I know a little something about being falsely accused and being forced to counter allegations that are the result of overreach by prosecutors and law enforcement. I make no apologies for being a fierce investigator and defender of individual rights in the face of potentially unreasonable and authoritarian actions. Doing so is not favoritism, it is doing what the people of Texas expect from every law enforcement agency, their Attorney General, and the staff of this office."
