What Ken Paxton’s acquittal means for Texas Republicans
Despite being overwhelmingly impeached by the Texas House of Representatives in May, Ken Paxton has been acquitted in a trial that concluded on September 16th. A star-studded prosecution team failed to convince the Senate that the attorney-general had illegally used his office to benefit his friend Nate Paul, an Austin-based property developer. Only two out of the 18 Republicans voted to convict on the articles presented to them by the House, falling seven votes short of removing him from office. The acquittal comes after two weeks of testimony from former top officials in the attorney-general’s office, who were fired or resigned after reporting to the FBI that Paxton was accepting bribes. This decision promptly allows the conservative demagogue to resume his duties.
Following the Senate’s decision to set Paxton free, Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor who presided over the trial as a non-partisan judge, criticized the House for wasting taxpayer money on a sham investigation. While his change in attitude is drastic, it is not surprising. In July, it was revealed that Patrick had received $3 million from Defend Texas Liberty PAC, a pro-Paxton organization, just one day after he issued a gag order prohibiting lawmakers from discussing the case. Patrick may not have been the only one to accept donations prior to the Senate’s verdict. Due to Texas’s lenient campaign-finance regulations, senators were allowed to receive funds from interest groups during the trial, which is unusual considering their role as jurors.
Pundits accurately predicted that Paxton’s fate would be decided by a wide margin, whether he was removed from office or reinstated. Defend Texas Liberty pledged to lead a campaign against Republicans who betrayed the attorney-general. Before the trial, a newly registered corporation called San Jacinto 2023, based in Virginia, spent at least $30,000 on advertisements targeting swing senators. On his talk-show, the War Room, Steve Bannon publicly called out these senators by name. The calculation was clear: if acquittal seemed likely, it could be political suicide for…
2023-09-21 07:51:46
Original from www.economist.com
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