The jurors in the impeachment trial of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton began a second day of deliberations on Saturday. The 30 voting senators deliberated for about eight hours on Friday after impassioned closing arguments from the defense team and House Impeachment Managers.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick read each of the 16 articles of impeachment to the jurors on Friday. He also detailed the rules regarding deliberation and voting on the matters before the jury. Following closing arguments from defense attorneys Tony Buzbee and Dan Codgill, House Impeachment Managers Andrew Murr (R-Junction) and Jeff Leach (R-Plano), Patrick advised the deliberative process could last for several days.
“I would suggest to you this is a political witch hunt,” Buzbee told the jurors. “I would suggest to you that this trial has displayed, for the country to see, a partisan fight within the Republican Party.”
Murr countered, “We found unprecedented corruption in the Office of Attorney General.”
“Mr. Paxton’s attorneys like to remind everyone that he was elected by 4.2 million voters, but they have blindly ignored the fact that he ultimately ended up serving one person: himself,” Murr explained.
For the first time since entering a plea of not guilty in Day 1 of the impeachment trial, AG Paxton was present in the Senate Chamber for the closing arguments.
The jurors adjourned to private chambers to begin deliberations. Patrick ordered the senators to deliberate until 8 p.m. on Friday and threatened to sequester the jurors in the Capitol until a verdict was rendered. He also directed they not watch any media coverage of the trial or speak to anyone about the matter.
However, several senators were seen leaving the Capitol prior to the 8 p.m. closing time.
A mini-protest of @DanPatrick? Senators leaving before 8pm. Patrick said to stay until then. He may call me names for this but reports from the Senate side of the building indicate some would rather he didn’t threaten them with being sequestered in the Capitol for a quick verdict
— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) September 16, 2023
During pretrial motions to dismiss, the senators voted against the motions by a super-majority on nearly every count. However, after two weeks of testimony, it is still not clear how the senators will come down on the issues before them.
The senators have access to thousands of pages of evidence and exhibits to consider as they deliberate.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.