Texas House Committee Recommends Impeaching AG Ken Paxton

A Texas House investigative committee filed 20 articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday, accusing him of abusing his power to help a friend.

The Details: The Republican-led investigative panel voted unanimously to recommend impeaching Paxton. The accusations include bribery, abusing public trust, making false statements, and obstructing justice. The state House will now decide whether to approve the articles, which could lead to Paxton’s removal in a Senate trial.

Key Quotes: The articles allege "grave offenses," committee leader Rep. Andrew Murr (R) said. Texans are witnessing "the corrupt political establishment unite in an illegitimate attempt to overthrow the will of the people and disenfranchise the voters of our state," Paxton said.

For Context: The committee was initially investigating Paxton over his push for $3.3 million in taxpayer money to settle a whistleblower lawsuit from former employees who accused him of misconduct. No Texas Legislature has impeached an attorney general. Paxton's national profile grew when he moved to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, and he recently moved to investigate whether COVID-19 vaccine makers "engaged in gain-of-function research and misled the public about doing so."

How the Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum covered the news and framed it as sudden. The Texan (Lean Right bias) focused on an official in Paxton's office who called the probe "illegal," and suggested that a section of Texas' criminal code "seems to preclude impeachment for alleged misconduct prior to an election."