AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- More star legal power was added to Ken Paxton's upcoming impeachment trial on Wednesday, with Houston attorney Tony Buzbee leading the defense effort for the embattled attorney general.
Buzbee addressed reporters at the Texas GOP headquarters in Austin, calling the investigation and resulting impeachment charges a "sham" and blasting them as politically motivated.
“The impeachment articles that have been laid out by the House are baloney. Just so we’re clear, the allegations are untrue. They are false,” said Buzbee. “Ken Paxton will never, never be convicted by the Senate. Not on this evidence, not with this record.”
Buzbee's star power adds to that of the House impeachment team, which last week recruited attorneys Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin to prosecute the case.
The impeachment trial is expected to begin no later than August 28, according to a resolution passed by the Texas Senate last month. Buzbee said a trial could take a lot longer than anticipated - with his team already identifying 66 witnesses and thousands of documents that are needed to be gathered.
“The speaker’s followers and himself thought that they could pull off what could only be described as a drive-by shooting on a holiday weekend to politically assassinate one of the leading conservative voices, not only in Texas, but also in the United States,” said Buzbee.
Under the state constitution, the 31 members of the Senate will serve as jurors while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick presides over the impeachment court. One of the lingering issues is whether Paxton's wife Angela, who serves as a state senator from McKInney, will participate in the proceedings.
