Texas GOP Acquits Ken Paxton In Impeachment Trial

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was fully acquitted on Saturday of corruption charges in an impeachment trial.

The outcome highlights Paxton's enduring political strength in America's largest red state, despite years of criminal charges and scandals. I Photo: Ken Paxton Facebook

This verdict reaffirms the power of the GOP's hard-right faction and puts an indicted incumbent who remains under FBI investigation back into office. The news comes from a report by Paul J. Weber and Juan A. Lozano for the Associated Press (AP).

The outcome highlights Paxton's enduring political strength in America's largest red state, despite years of criminal charges and scandals.

More broadly, it represents a significant victory for the ascendant conservative wing of the Texas GOP. The impeachment trial provided a rare glimpse into divisions among Republicans nationwide as they approach the 2024 elections.

Paxton issued a statement following the verdict, stating, "Today, the truth prevailed. The truth could not be buried by mudslinging politicians or their powerful benefactors."

He attended only a few hours of the two-week trial and was not present for the verdict, as reported by Eric Bradner, Ashley Killough, and Ed Lavandera for CNN.

The trial featured both sober testimony and occasional spectacle. Former advisers accused Paxton of abusing his office, recounting how Texas' top lawyer allegedly pressured them to assist a political donor who was under FBI investigation.

Testimony included arguments about who funded home renovations, whether Paxton used burner phones, and how his alleged extramarital affair strained his office, according to Jake Bleiberg's report for AP.

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