AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Testimony continued Thursday as a second former employee turned whistleblower faced questioning from both sides in the ongoing impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Former deputy first assistant attorney general Ryan Bangert resumed his testimony Thursday morning, picking up where the session left off Wednesday afternoon.
Bangert is one of eight former employees who reported Paxton to the FBI in 2020, and the second to take the stand in the trial. According to his testimony, he oversaw the part of the AG's office that issues legal opinions.
"I was deeply concerned that the name, authority and power of our office had been, in my view, hijacked to serve the interests of an individual against the interests of the broader public," Bangert testified under questioning from the House impeachment managers.
One of the key issues is an opinion related to prohibitions on home foreclosure sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. That opinion was contrary to the office's stance on other pandemic mandates, during the time when Texas was working to re-open.
Bangert described Paxton's conduct as "bizarre," testifying that Paxton continued to pressure him to write a legal opinion that would benefit Paul.
"He was acting like a man with a gun to his head," Bangert testified. "Anxious, desperate, urging me to get this [opinion] out as quickly as humanly possible."
Bangert also resisted allegations that he and the other whistleblowers were trying to take power for themselves.
"We were protecting the interests of the state and ultimately, I believe, protecting the interests of the attorney general and, in my view, signing our professional death warrant," Bangert testified. "We understood the gravity of that act."
Later Thursday, former deputy attorney general for legal counsel Ryan Vassar took the stand.
When questioned Paxton's comments about the eight employees who reported him to the FBI, Vassar choked up on the stand, saying the "rogue" description by Paxton was especially hurtful.
"The statement of being rogue is contrary to the years that I dedicated my life to the state," Vassar said.
During cross examination, Paxton's attorneys continued to paint a picture of a group of staffers that were out of control. Mitch Little grilled Vassar on whether the report to the FBI was accompanied by any evidence.
"We had no evidence that we could point to but we had reasonable conclusions that we could draw," Vassar testified.
Vassar's testimony is scheduled to resume Friday morning.
