A Texas House Republican-led investigation has recommended that state Attorney General Ken Paxton be impeached.
In an unanimous decision, a Republican-led House investigative committee that spent months quietly looking into Paxton recommended impeaching the state’s top lawyer. The House could vote on the recommendation as soon as Friday. If it impeaches Paxton, he would be forced to leave office immediately.
The move sets set up what could be a remarkably sudden downfall for one of the GOP’s most prominent legal combatants, who in 2020 asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Joe Biden’s victory. Only two officials in Texas’ nearly 200-year history have been impeached.
Paxton who is under indictment for securities fraud and being investigated by the FBI for misusing his office to help a donor, is a favorite of Fox News and a loyal supporter of Donald Trump.
Paxton filed an infamous lawsuit to try to get the 2020 election overturned, which the Supreme Court rejected.
Unlike at the federal level, if the heavily Republican Texas House votes to impeach Paxton, he has to leave office immediately until the conclusion of his state Senate trial. In Texas, if Paxton is not found guilty, he can return to work. If he is convicted by the Senate, he will be removed from office.
Much like Donald Trump, Ken Paxton has escaped consequences for years, but 2023 could be shaping up as the year of justice and it could be coming soon for the Texas attorney general.