Angela Paxton, state senator and wife of impeached Texas AG Ken Paxton, says she will attend his trial
Angela Paxton, a Texas state senator and wife of impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton, said late Monday that she will attend her husband's upcoming impeachment trial, vowing to "carry out my duties."
"As a member of the Senate, I hold these obligations sacred and I will carry out my duties, not because it is easy, but because the Constitution demands it and my constituents deserve it," Angela Paxton said in a statement.
The Texas House of Representatives voted in May to impeach the attorney general, who has been accused of bribery, obstruction of justice and abuse of the public trust. Paxton has denied the allegations against him.
Under the Texas Constitution, "each member of the senate shall be in attendance when the senate is meeting as a court of impeachment." Similar to federal impeachment proceedings, the Texas senate is responsible for holding a trial to decide whether the accused official should be removed from office.
Texas Rep. Andrew Murr, who headed up the House investigation and is one of the impeachment managers, declined to comment last month about Angela Paxton's participation in the Senate trial. "We will manage this process with the weight and reverence it deserves and requires," Murr said.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who will preside over the Senate trial, told WFAA in Dallas last month that "all 31 senators will have a vote." When Patrick threw his support behind Angela Paxton in the 2018 primary, he called her a "friend for years."
Much of the impeachment proceedings revolve around Ken Paxton's relationship with real estate developer Nate Paul, who has since been charged with eight felony counts of financial crimes.
Among other accusations, the articles of impeachment allege that Paul, a campaign donor, paid to renovate Paxton's house, and Paxton requested Paul hire a woman with whom Paxton was allegedly in a relationship.
Over the weekend, Angela Paxton, who represents the Dallas suburbs, posted photos on Twitter of their family and wished her husband a happy Father's Day. The Paxtons have four adult children and three grandchildren.
"May God bless you today with a day of fun and relaxation, and I hope you can have a few minutes to reflect and enjoy some deep satisfaction in being a great dad (and an excellent Pop-Pop!)," she wrote.
In a separate case, Ken Paxton was charged in 2015 on two counts of securities fraud, but he has successfully delayed a trial. Earlier this month, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the trial will be held in Houston, not his home base of Collin County, near Dallas. The decision allows the case to move forward after a three-year delay.
The state Senate has agreed to hold a trial on whether to remove Paxton no later than Aug. 28. He has been suspended pending the outcome of the trial. The Senate Rules Committee is expected to announce details of the impeachment trial on Tuesday, including when it will start.
Paxton, a Republican, is a close ally of former President Donald Trump. The GOP holds a 19-12 advantage in the state Senate, although 60 House Republicans voted to impeach Paxton.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed former state Secretary of State John Scott to be interim attorney general while Paxton is suspended. Over the weekend, Paxton started fundraising off the impeachment, tweeting that "RINOS and far-left radicals have established a kangaroo court in the TX Lege. to eliminate America's most conservative Attorney General."
Only two elected officials have been impeached in Texas before: Former Gov. James E. Ferguson in 1917 and former Judge O.P. Carrillo in 1975. The Senate voted to remove both and they were disqualified from holding public office.
