(VitalNews.org) – Ken Paxton, the Attorney General for Texas, has been impeached by the Texas House of Representatives after allegations of corruption resurfaced. Although many of the allegations were known prior to the previous election, the voters of Texas decided to re-elect him anyway, but the impeachment has meant that Paxton has been temporarily suspended pending a trial in the Senate.
Critics of the decision to suspend Attorney General Paxton were almost unanimously scathing regarding the impeachment, saying that the debate conducted by the General Investigating Committee was rushed and due process was not followed. Paxton himself issued a lengthy statement on social media saying that the process was profoundly unjust and unethical, not to mention downright illegal.
Paxton is facing a total of 20 articles of impeachment – the most serious of which is violating the state’s whistle-blower law by paying off whistle-blowers from public funds. The question on most people’s lips, though, is “why now?” Two of Paxton’s strongest supporters who are in no doubt at all are former President Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) who called the process a “travesty of justice.”
It is an unprecedented move by the Texas House of Representatives, but it has resulted only in a temporary suspension, with a permanent removal of the Attorney General requiring a two-thirds majority of the Texas Senate, which is comprised of 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats. This means that nine Republican Senators would have to side with the Democrats in order to permanently remove Paxton.
According to Senator Ted Cruz, Paxton has a reputation for being the strongest conservative Attorney General in the country, with a track record of ferociously fighting the abuses of the Biden administration. In his view, the Texas Legislature should have listened to the views of Texas voters, and although there may yet be legal challenges to be overcome, the courts should be entrusted with the job of sorting them out.
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