Tag: Ken Paxton

Whistleblowers accuse Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of distorting testimony to get their lawsuit dismissed

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“Whistleblowers say Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is distorting testimony to get their lawsuit dismissed” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

A group of former top aides to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton reiterated in a court filing this week that they believe Paxton committed crimes while in office, and suggested that Paxton is intentionally mischaracterizing witness testimony in their whistleblower case against him for political reasons.

The aides are taking issue with a brief and a press release issued on June 2 where Paxton’s lawyers asked the 3rd Court of Appeals to throw out the case four aides filed against the state’s top lawyer in which they allege he fired them for reporting his alleged illegal behavior to federal and state authorities. Paxton, who has denied the charges, said he fired aides last year because they had gone “rogue” and made “unsubstantiated claims” against him. Continue reading.

Trump allies set for bitter brawl in Texas AG primary

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Two high-profile allies of former President Trump are barreling toward confrontation in the race for Texas attorney general in what could become one of the Lone Star State’s closest-watched primaries next year.

The Republican primary race began in earnest last week when Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), announced a challenge to sitting Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is expected to run for a third term in 2022.

Both men are ardent allies of Trump and are aggressively seeking his endorsement in the primary, believing that the former president’s backing would offer the easiest path to the GOP nomination. Trump has teased making an endorsement soon but has offered no hints as to which candidate he’s leaning toward. Continue reading.

Republican AG admits voter suppression helped Trump win Texas in 2020

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One need only compare now-President Joe Biden’s losses in Texas in 2020 to his losses in Idaho or Wyoming to see that Texas has gone from deep red to light red. Biden lost Texas by 6%; he lost Wyoming by 43%, Idaho by 30% and North Dakota by 43%. Nonetheless, the Democratic Party has, historically, had a turnout problem in the Lone Star State; Democrats are going to need a heavier turnout in the Democrat-leaning parts of the state if they are going to win statewide races (presidential, gubernatorial or U.S. Senate) in the future. And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, during a June 4 appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast, essentially admitted that voter suppression helped former President Donald Trump win Texas in 2020.

Paxton told Bannon, who served as White House chief strategist in the Trump Administration in 2017 following his years as chairman of Breitbart News, that had his office not blocked Harris County from sending out mail-in ballot applications to its residents, Trump would have lost Texas in 2020. Harris County includes Democrat-leaning Houston.

“Trump won by 620,000 votes in Texas,” Paxton told Bannon. “(The) Harris County mail-in ballots that they wanted to send out were 2.5 million. Those were all illegal, and we were able to stop every one of them.” Continue reading.

Indicted For Securities Fraud, Attorney General Is Asking Texans To Reelect Him

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Ken Paxton, the Republican attorney general of Texas, is under indictment for insider trading and is being investigated for political corruption. Still, he said Tuesday, he is fully planning to run for reelection next year.

After Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced he is “seriously considering” a 2022 primary challenge to Paxton, the embattled incumbent confirmed on Tuesday that he is running for another term.

Paxton mocked Bush, the grandson of George H.W. Bush and son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, on a Dallas radio show for running because he “hates being land commissioner” and sees the attorney general job as a stepping stone to running for president. Continue reading.

Texas AG Ken Paxton refuses to release messages about attendance at pro-Trump rally before Jan. 6 insurrection

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The Texas attorney general’s office is attempting to withhold all messages Ken Paxton sent or received while in Washington for the pro-Donald Trump rally that devolved into a riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Several news organizations in Texas have requested copies of the attorney general’s work-related communications. The Texas Public Information Act guarantees the public’s right to government records — even if those records are stored on personal devices or online accounts of public officials.

After Paxton’s office refused to release copies of his emails and text messages, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, The Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, and The San Antonio Express-News are working together in an effort to obtain the documents and review Paxton’s open-records practices. Continue reading.

New report reveals 2 aides for Texas AG Paxton met with Trump officials just before the Capitol riots

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It’s no secret that GOP Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s traveled to Washington, D.C., the week of the U.S. Capitol riots as he appeared next to former President Donald Trump while he was onstage at the “Save America” rally. But now, his top aides’ travel to Washington is also coming to light and questions are looming about the purpose of their trip that same week. 

According to KXAN, Paxton’s aides—First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster and Communications Deputy Director Kimberly Hubbard—were the two who traveled to the nation’s capital to meet with Trump’s senior White House officials.

Records from Paxton’s office, obtained by KXAN, show details about Hubbard’s reimbursed travel expenses on taxpayers’ dime. Documentation shows that Hubbard “traveled to Washington on Jan. 5 and left Jan. 7, too. She stayed at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Washington the first night and the Alexandrian Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, the second night. Hubbard only sought reimbursement for personal car travel in Virginia, meals and her hotel stays, for a total of just over $700.” Continue reading.

Ken Paxton Fought Trump’s Legal Wars From Texas. Now He’s in Trouble.

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The Texas attorney general, who fought against the Affordable Care Act and mail-in voting, has been accused of wrongdoing by his own aides amid calls for his resignation.

AUSTIN, Texas — After his home and offices were raided by federal agents last year, a wealthy real estate investor in Austin got some help from a friend — who happened to be one of the most powerful officials in Texas.

The investor, Nate Paul, was convinced that the F.B.I. and other agencies had acted unlawfully. Normally, such accusations by the targets of federal investigations would be met with skepticism, but Mr. Paul contacted Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, a longtime friend whose re-election in 2018 he had supported with a $25,000 donation.

Mr. Paxton not only arranged a meeting with the local district attorney’s office, he also appointed a special prosecutor to look into Mr. Paul’s allegations about law enforcement. Continue reading.