Texas House to vote on impeachment of state attorney general

A Republican-led Texas House panel unanimously recommended Thursday that lawmakers impeach state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican. The Texas House of Representatives is set to vote Saturday over whether to impeach him. The panel filed 20 articles of impeachment, including accusations that Paxton accepted bribes from a wealthy donor. The other charges include unfitness for office and abuse of public trust. On Wednesday, the committee heard testimony from a team of investigators they had hired to investigate Paxton.

What has Paxton said? Paxton said the move was politically motivated and that the committee’s findings were based on hearsay and gossip. In 2014, he admitted to violating Texas securities law, and a year later, a grand jury indicted him on felony securities charges. That case is still pending, and Paxton has pleaded not guilty. If the House votes to impeach, Paxton would have to leave office immediately while the Texas Senate considers whether to remove him permanently.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift on Paxton suing the Biden administration over abortion pills.