What Finally Tipped the Scales?
After yesterday’s news that Ken Paxton has been referred to the full Texas House for impeachment, my only question was, which crime was finally bad enough to finally tip the scales of justice against him? Did Republicans finally awake from an 8 year coma? Did they finally turn on the news? Identifying crimes and conduct that have been obvious to normal Texans for years, the House General Investigating Committee filed 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton listing crimes and corrupt conduct such as bribery, misuse of funds, abusing employees, using the power of his office to help a friend in a private lawsuit, lying on the record, and dereliction of duty, among other acts not generally associated with a state’s top law enforcement officer. Paxton’s defense? It’s rich – you can’t impeach me for any crimes I committed BEFORE the last election. His argument is that each election washes away any prior misdeeds from previous terms. This claim not the only issue, though.
Paxton has been under felony indictment for securities fraud, among other crimes, FOR EIGHT YEARS. He has successfully buried that case for that extended period after the legislature passed a 2015 law at Abbott’s urging to dismantle the Public Integrity Unit run by the Travis County DA and move cases against statewide officials to the Texas Rangers and local prosecutors in officials’ home jurisdictions. Paxton’s felony case was moved from Austin to Collin County and was buried and remains bogged down to this day. In fact, since that law was enacted, prosecutions of state officials have virtually disappeared. 90% of investigations result in no charges, and the people who are charged are generally low level employees. This is not a flaw in the law – it’s a feature; the legislature and Abbott successfully blunted the only tool Texas had to prosecute corruption by taking away the only independent watchdog in the state. Paxton’s unchecked corruption and criminality is the logical (and obvious) result of dismantling the existing justice system. And it’s not just Paxton – high level officials in Austin can pretty much do what they want as long as their local DAs protect them, and that is exactly what’s happening.
What kicked off this entire episode this session was a request by Paxton that WE, the taxpayers, pay $3.3 million to settle one of the lawsuits against him that had been filed by his former employees for abuse and retaliation. House speaker Dade Phelan had opposed the payment and the investigation into this settlement was begun. That investigation then turned into an impeachment inquiry as the evidence against Paxton became so mountainous that not even Republicans could ignore it.
So the question is, which crime tipped the scales of justice? Was it one crime, or did the collective weight of them all finally do the deed? In my view, any of these well known crimes should have resulted in Paxton’s removal and jailing years ago. That it hasn’t happened is a direct result of Republican corruption and the Texas Rangers looking the other way while local prosecutors selectively charged other low level officials.
I’ve believed since Rick Perry that Texas was lost. It’s still lost, but have we finally reached bottom after 30 years of decline? I’m a long way from popping champagne and tossing babies in the air, but maybe we’ve finally gotten there. There’s no way but up from here.
Will his wife be able to vote on his impeachment?
1Paxton – too corrupt even for Massachusetts, too incompetent even for Texas.
2I’m going with the $3.3 million dollar settlement check as the trigger. Republicans don’t care about things until it hits them personally- and explaining to voters why they spent $3.3 million for Paxton’s crime spree was a bridge too far.
3There are soooooo many possibilities. My question is whether or not Paxton’s statement the Texas House Speaker should be removed for inebriation played any role in timing?
4No matter what, though, it’s about time…
I expect Paxton to sue the legislature for impeaching him.
5Those of you closer to Texas politics than I could probably give an educated answer on this. Are there actually enough R legislators with a conscience to impeach even the proven corrupt Paxton? I’m skeptical.
6@Andrew Zachary: In defense of my native state, shouldn’t that be as corrupt as Rhode Island? But Billy/Whitey Bulger and the Kennedys do account for something…
7We’ve all heard the claim that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. That can’t be true. Otherwise, why practice?
Here’s a case of doing the same thing over and over, and a different result finally happened. Let’s hope it nails him to the jailhouse wall.
8Not an answer to El Jefe’s sharp question. But Paxton’s “defense” of himself is that he is the only thing standing between all that is right and decent, and … Joe Biden. Here’s two quotes from him that make my skin crawl:
“The House is poised to do exactly what Joe Biden has been hoping to accomplish since his first day in office – sabotage our work, my work, as Attorney General of Texas,” he said.
“There is no other state in this country with so much influence over the fate of our nation, and this is solely because of the relentless challenges that I bring against Biden’s unconstitutional policy agenda,” he continued.
9Seeing Paxton build up Biden in his mind is like Sam Houston St. arguing that UT is just obsessed with them. Sure. Paxton represents everything wrong with one party rule in Texas. So many people just reflexively vote for any jackass with an R next to their name. It’s so cute that he thinks Biden is offering one moment of thought to him or Texas. Bless his heart.
10I’m with Steve @6. I’m not counting on enough spineless Republicans to actually vote to impeach this slimebag. Texas is pathetic. It’s depressing to live here.
11Well this is a start and very lopsided vote against Paxton. Maybe he’s bad enough to actually follow through on finding him guilty in the Texas senate. Not sure stranger things have happened in red Texas.
12https://apple.news/AmFbx0v7LT56P0lDmtZm8Ng
Has been impeached. Vote was in range of 120-20. Goes to senate which is 19R 12D. Two-thirds of those present required. Bear-knuckled politics before the vote
13Will 9 of 19 R senators grow a spine and conscience?
14Jefe, I wish I could share your cautious optimism that things can only go up from here.
15IMHO, Paxton’s just outlived his usefulness.
I feel like if anybody had told us 8 years ago the shit he would do unashamedly, we’d have called bullshit.
“No way somebody could get away with that shit”
But the center has been drug so far to the right, that so much crap Paxton’s done is the new norm.
The moneyed don’t need a Bond villian when somebody who comes across as middle-of-the-road can do what they need going forward.
Because the unAmericanism’s been normalized.
Thanks for the analysis, EJ, just what I wanted.
16@andewzachary In Massachusetts (my home state), we’ll always have to claim Billy Bulger as one of ours (the man was legendarily dirty), but generally, MA politicians aren’t as dirty as those in TX (or certain other places).
My question is this: is Paxton corrupt enough to be a politician from New Jersey/New York?
17The Texas Fox Guards the Henhouse statute: “…after the legislature passed a 2015 law at Abbott’s urging to dismantle the Public Integrity Unit run by the Travis County DA and move cases against statewide officials to the Texas Rangers and local prosecutors in officials’ home jurisdictions.”
18@Steve from Beaverton – you mean will the snakes eat one of their own?
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