Tx. AG, Paxton, fights back against illegal impeachment fomented by RINOs--as Paxton exposed their corruption

[Apollonian]

‘It’s an Illegal Impeachment’: TX Attorney General Ken Paxton Blasts RINOs Behind Effort to Remove Him From Office​

Infowars.com
May 27th 2023, 2:20 pm

Link: https://www.infowars.com/posts/its-...inos-behind-effort-to-remove-him-from-office/

[see vid at site link, above]

"I think they decided they thought I was going to lose my election to Bush, and they became very disturbed when I won," he says.

"And they concocted this plan, I think months and months ago, maybe right after my reelection, thinking that the voters just were not smart enough to figure this out. They’re going to fix it."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) argued establishment Republicans are moving forward with an “illegal impeachment” against him for exposing their corruption.

Paxton joined Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Newsmax Friday to break down how the Texas RINOs (Republican in Name Only) have been investigating him in secret for months before introducing 20 articles of impeachment against him.


The showdown boiled over after Paxton called on Texas Speaker Dade Phelan to resign for alleged drunkenness during a House session last week.

“When you expose what these liberal Republicans do, which is basically cut deals with liberal Democrats, they get really angry that the last thing they want is somebody around like me who exposes what they do. And I’ve done that with Phelan,” Paxton said, adding him and other Republicans have kowtowed to the liberal agenda.


"It's an Illegal Impeachment" - Ken Paxton Goes Off on Texas RINO Movement Behind His PlannedOuster



“They tried to sneak through legislation two years ago where they were reducing the penalty for illegal voting, where I would now have to prove that they knew the law when they did it, which meant no prosecutions. We caught him, we exposed it. Those are the types of things that Phelan finds infuriating. And unfortunately for him, we caught him and we exposed it, despite the fact that he’s a Republican.”
https://infowars.iljmp.com/4/yqwhy
When asked if he’s confident he can get the votes to block this impeachment, Paxton replied, “No.”

“I think they decided they thought I was going to lose my election to Bush, and they became very disturbed when I won,” he said. “And they concocted this plan, I think months and months ago, maybe right after my reelection, thinking that the voters just were not smart enough to figure this out. They’re going to fix it.”

Paxton went on to explain how the RINOs had been planning to impeach him for months in secret.

They started working on this about four months ago in secret. I literally first heard about this on Tuesday, where they announced they subpoenaed us. On Wednesday, they announced an investigation. On Thursday, they announced impeachment. And now on Saturday, the impeachment is going forward. The members haven’t seen all the information. They haven’t allowed us to participate. We have lots of information that would change the results of their investigation. They have refused to let us testify. They have refused to let us give them information. They have refused to allow us to correct things that even they know are wrong. And that’s the process we’re in. They want this done because the voters, in their opinion, weren’t smart enough to get it right, and they’re going to fix it.

But Paxton stressed that his chances of exposing the “illegal impeachment” are much better in the Senate.

“There’s always issues when you’re in politics, because not every Republican is conservative, and some of the more moderate senators may not be supportive as well. But that’s okay. I think we at least feel like we’ll have a fair shot to present evidence and expose the lies of the House,” he said.

“There’s a statute in Texas which they are not following. This is illegal impeachment. The statute says that if there were complaints prior to the election, there were issues prior to the election. You can’t bring an impeachment on issues that occurred, whether true or false, before the election.”

“19 of the 20 in this complaint were from issues related to the election. The second was related to my settlement authority. And they’re saying that I deserve to be impeached because I settled a case which required that the legislature approve the money they have to actually fund,” he added.

Paxton had issued a statement Friday following the announcement the GOP-led House General Investigating Committee unanimously voted to impeach him on Thursday.

“Every politician who supports this deceitful impeachment attempt will inflict lasting damage on the credibility of the Texas House,” Paxton told reporters.

Listen to Attorney General Paxton's full remarks from today's press conference: pic.twitter.com/pWnj0Ijc6G
— Texas Attorney General (@TXAG) May 26, 2023

Paxton also encouraged protesters to peacefully demonstrate in front of the Capitol building in Austin Saturday to let their voices be heard.

 

[Apollonian]

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Shreds Attempt To Impeach Him​

MAY 28, 20230

Link: http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2023/05/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton.html

The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton strongly pushed back Friday afternoon on attempts by some Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives to impeach him, saying that the articles of impeachment were so weak that if they were filed in court they would likely be dismissed.
News that the state House had been investigating Paxton was made public on Tuesday — the same day that Paxton called on House Speaker Dade Phelan, who is friendly with the Left, to resign after video emerged allegedly showing him“in a state of apparent debilitating intoxication” on the House floor.

Two days later, 20 articles of impeachment were filed against Paxton.

Impeachment proceedings are set to begin on Saturday.
Paxton’s shot at Phelan came the same day that news broke that the House Committee on General Investigating was probing Paxton’s attempt to settle a 2020 lawsuit using an alleged $3.3 million in public money. As part of its investigation, the committee has subpoenaed Paxton’s office for records.
Four former employees of the attorney general’s office brought the suit in 2020, claiming they were retaliated against after accusing Paxton of corruption. The state legislature refused to fund the settlement, so the case continues to work its way through the courts.

Paxton issued a lengthy rebuttal to the articles of impeachment, urging members to reject them due to “numerous failures,” ranging from not substantiating claims to not understanding his role as attorney general.
For example, on the first article of impeachment — Disregard of Official Duty — Protection of Charitable Organization — Paxton’s office writes:

The Articles of Impeachment imply that the Attorney General is legally required to “act as [the] public protector of charitable organizations.” He is not. He is required to protect the public from illegal conduct by charitable organizations. Hence why he is constitutionally authorized to investigate those organizations (see Tex. Const. art. IV, § 22). Likewise, section 123.002 of the Texas Property Code provides that the Attorney General is to act “for the behalf of the interest of the general public of this state.” The Office of the Attorney General initially sued the Mitte Foundation in 2009—before General Paxton’s election—to protect the public’s interests.

Paxton’s office continued by offering strong pushback to the other Articles of Impeachment, including II. Disregard of Official Duty—Abuse of the Opinion Process, III. Disregard of Official Duty—Abuse of the Open Records Process, IV. Disregard of Official Duty—Misuse of Official Information, V. Disregard of Official Duty—Engagement of Cammack, VI. Disregard of Official Duty—Termination of Whistleblowers, VII. Misapplication of Public Resources—Whistleblower Investigation and Report, VIII. Disregard of Official Duty—Settlement Agreement Similarly, IX. Constitutional Bribery—Paul’s Employment of Mistress, X. Constitutional Bribery—Paul’s Providing Renovations to Paxton Home, XI. Obstruction of Justice—Abuse of Judicial Process, XII. Obstruction of Justice—Abuse of Judicial Process, XIII. False Statements in Official Records—State Securities Board Investigation, XIV. False Statements in Official Records—Personal Financial Statements, XV. False Statements in Official Records—Whistleblower Response Report, XVI. Counts XVI through XX—Conspiracy and Attempted Conspiracy; Misappropriation of Public Resources; Dereliction of Duty; Unfitness for Office; Abuse of Public Trust.

 

[Apollonian]

Outside law firm finds Paxton didn't break laws or violate office procedure​

• By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor
• May 28, 2023

Link: https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article_46e8c844-fd77-11ed-9f9d-3f75ee5c073e.html

House members line up to question Rep. Andrew Murr, R - Junction, Chair of the House General Investigating Committee, during the impeachment proceedings against state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, Saturday, May 27, 2023.
Eric Gay / AP Photo

(The Center Square) – A 174-page report released by the Office of the Attorney General in August 2021, made public before voters reelected Attorney General Ken Paxton to a third term in November 2022, disproved claims presented by Democratically-aligned counsel hired by the House General Investigating Committee.
Another report released Saturday by an outside law firm, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, also concluded, "significant evidence to show the actions of the OAG toward the Complainants were based on legitimate, non-retaliatory, business grounds."
The report came in the hours after the impeachment vote.

Instead, Paxton said the House GIC orchestrated a secretive investigation and presented inaccurate information, "falsehoods, and misstatements" without interviewing or requesting information from the OAG on Wednesday. Its findings were used to issue 20 articles of impeachment and the basis to impeach AG Paxton 48 hours later. The House voted 121-23 late Saturday to impeach an attorney general for the first time in Texas history.
House officials involved in the impeachment process weren't immediately available to comment on the latest report Sunday.
The investigation relates to the OAG firing several former OAG political appointees. Four sued, alleging wrongful termination. They claim they were retaliated against when they alleged Paxton engaged in misconduct and/or violated the law.
Seven had filed complaints: Jeff Mateer, Ryan Bangert, Lacey Mase, Ryan Vassar, Mark Penley, Blake Brickman, and Darren McCarty. Four sued: Vassar, Maxwell, Penley and Brickman.
The Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP report refutes the former employees' claims, including stating, "there is no evidence supporting the allegation that the Attorney General's hiring of First Assistant Webster was part of a conspiracy to retaliate against the Complainants;" "Sergeant Gonzales did not attend meetings to intimidate witnesses;" "The press releases the OAG issued after the Complainants alleged wrongdoing are not acts of retaliation," among others.
It also gives evidence to support its conclusion that the AOG "had valid, non-retaliatory reasons for dismissing" two of the plaintiffs, Maxwell and Penley.
It also shows that Mateer authorized an outside counsel contract that was in question and concluded, "Ryan Vassar's conduct impeded OAG's mission and likely violated state or federal Law."
It also provides evidence to explain why Brickman's "insubordination justified his dismissal" and why Mase, who "sought to use OAG resources to obtain personal legal advice," was fired "on legitimate, non-retaliatory grounds."

The GIC wouldn't allow any of this evidence to be presented in the House. The only information provided to the House was a video and transcript of a hearing at which Democratic counsel hired by the GIC spoke about over a dozen people who were interviewed. No transcripts of their interviews were provided.
No sworn testimony was presented. No direct witnesses spoke to members of the committee under oath or to members of the full House. No documentary evidence was provided to the GIC or full House. Highlighting these and other facts, those opposing the impeachment process said no due process was being followed in the impeachment process.
The committee's "politically motivated investigation," the OAG said in a statement on Saturday, "is predicated on long-disproven claims grounded in hearsay and gossip. In August of 2021, after nearly a year of diligent investigation into these claims from former employees, the Office of the Attorney General released an exhaustive report that ultimately refuted each of the former employees' allegations. In that report, the OAG stated it would further investigate the allegations and supplement as necessary. Subsequently, the OAG retained an outside law firm to conduct further investigation into the claims of retaliation by the former employees."
The OAG 2021 report and the Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP's reports include information the GIC transcript does not: evidence, including direct witness testimony, emails, copies of signed documents, among others.
The 2021 report, for example, includes a DocuSign time-stamped approval signature that disproves a claim former employees made that "staff" notified Paxton that they wouldn't approve a request.
In another example, when asked under oath, "Did you come to believe that the Office of Attorney General was being engaged in ongoing criminal activity in connection with Nate Paul," Mateer couldn't answer the question or provide evidence related to alleged criminal activity.
He replied, "I know it called for yes or no, but it's a question that it's hard to give a yes or no, so that makes it difficult for me—as—as the witness. What I would say is it—it could have led to that. Certainly, it's—did I have concerns? I had potential concerns."
On Thursday, Chris Hilton, chief of the OAG General Litigation Division, sought to testify before the GIC and submit the 2021 report as evidence. The GIC refused.
The OAG's office said the GIC was "not interested in the truth. They were interested only in crafting a highly curated, one-sided case to overthrow the will of the voters."
Paxton and others argue the impeachment process was illegal because it violated state law.

 

[Apollonian]

Texas House Committee Met With Obama Lawyer, Democrat Donor During Probe Of AG Paxton​

JUNE 08, 20230

Link: http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2023/06/texas-house-committee-met-with-obama.html

A Committee in the Republican-controlled Texas House that launched an investigation into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over allegations of misconduct met with a former Obama White House lawyer and major Democrat donor during the course of the investigation.
Hugh Brady, who serves as a Parliamentarian in the Texas House, met with the five-member House General Investigating Committee on Tuesday, the day that news broke that the Committee was investigating Paxton, according to a report from the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

Donald Trump Jr. called attention on Thursday to a video clip of Brady going into the private meeting behind closed doors late last month.
“Shown here: Democrat donor and former Obama WH lawyer going to work with Texas House Republicans (RINOS!) on the sham impeachment of Ken Paxton,” Trump Jr. wrote.

Records from the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) appear to show that Brady has donated a total of $12,400 to Democrat candidates at the federal level dating back to 2010.
Brady served as the general counsel for the Executive Office of President during the Obama administration from March 2014 to January 2017, according to his LinkedIn account.

Six members of Paxton’s office have since taken a leave of absence to defend Paxton in his upcoming trial in the Texas Senate after he was impeached late last month.
The Daily Wire learned from two sources familiar with the matter that the six officials were offended by the entire process and they did not see a better use of their time right now than defending Paxton.
The six officials are Judd Stone, Solicitor General; Chris Hilton, Division Chief, General Litigation Division; Joseph N. Mazzara, Assistant Solicitor General; Kateland Jackson, Assistant Solicitor General; Allison Collins, Senior Attorney; and Jordan Eskew, Executive Assistant.
One of the main lawyers defending Paxton, Tony Buzbee, said on Wednesday, “Ken Paxton will never, never be convicted by the Senate — not on this evidence, not with this record and not when the fact is the allegations are completely untrue.”
After the Texas House of Representatives impeached Paxton in a 121-23 vote, he was temporarily suspended from his office, as he now has to wait for a trial in the Senate.
Paxton faces 20 articles of impeachment alleging that Paxton committed a number of infractions, including violating the state’s whistleblower law, violating the Securities Act, bribery, and other activities.

 

[Apollonian]

Ken Paxton reveals to Tucker Carlson that Biden admin lawyers were part of his impeachment investigation in Texas​

Link: https://thepostmillennial.com/ken-p...-tucker-carlson-interview?utm_campaign=64483/

[vid at site link, above]

"And they hired, I think it was four lawyers. Two of them came from the Biden DOJ. That’s not an accident. They were sent there."

Hannah NightingaleWashington DC
Sep 21, 20233 Minute Read

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was just acquitted during an impeachment trial that wrapped up over the weekend, sat town with Tucker Carlson for his first interview since the proceedings.
During the interview, Paxton revealed that the Biden administration had a role to play in his impeachment.

"There were two of the four House investigating lawyers that worked at the Department of Justice in Washington. That’s not random," said Paxton.`
Paxton explained that in the House investigating committee, there’s five members, three of which are Republicans and two are Democrats.
"And they hired, I think it was four lawyers. Two of them came from the Biden DOJ. That’s not an accident. They were sent there."
Carlson noted that Paxton has filed 48 suits against the Biden administration, to which Paxton said "I think that was the motivation" to send these lawyers.
"We were causing a lot of trouble for the Biden administration. Even if we didn’t, we slowed them down. We were winning. Like, I think our number is 77 percent of our cases."
"So we are a huge problem for the Biden administration, and that was the way to get me out of the way."
Carlson questioned whether Paxton thought "that the effort to remove you from office really came from the Biden administration," to which Paxton said, "I really do."
"I think that’s where it was instigated. And then there were other groups in Texas."
Later in the conversation, Paxton noted the group called Texans for Lawsuit Reform, who had contributed "a lot of money" towards Eva Guzman, who had run against Paxton in 2022.
"And they thought that if they got enough people running against me, they could take me out of a primary, run me out of money by putting me into a runoff. And this group has spent a lot of money and they were certainly not only part of trying to get me defeated, but they were also very much a part of this effort," said Paxton.
Paxton said the group published articles and sent them to Karl Rove at the Wall Street Journal, who in turn published them in the outlet, "whereas we couldn’t get anything published in the Wall Street Journal, even before the gag order, we were turned down for our editorial."
Paxton told Carlson during the interview that he was "reenergized" to return to his office and continue work, which he has been blocked from doing for months.
"I’ve been thinking about what I want to do when I get back since the day I left and so I’m reenergized to do the things that I think the voters sent me to do."
Paxton said he ran again for Attorney General "because I was in the middle of so many big things," adding that "we’re trying to stop the Biden administration from ignoring the Constitution and just ram-rodding things through outside of the legislative process."
"If we don’t fight now, we’re gonna lose our freedom. We lose Texas, we lose everything."

 

[Apollonian]

Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton: ‘Secretive’ Texas Court Has Blocked Me from Prosecuting Voter Fraud​

By the politics brief
September 21, 2023
https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://thepoliticsbrief.com/attorney-gen-ken-paxton-secretive-texas-court-has-blocked-me-from-prosecuting-voter-fraud/

Link: https://thepoliticsbrief.com/attorn...-has-blocked-me-from-prosecuting-voter-fraud/

[vid at site link, above]

https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=Attorney+Gen.+Ken+Paxton:+‘Secretive’+Texas+Court+Has+Blocked+Me+from+Prosecuting+Voter+Fraud https://thepoliticsbrief.com/attorney-gen-ken-paxton-secretive-texas-court-has-blocked-me-from-prosecuting-voter-fraud/

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, fresh off his victory against a historic impeachment effort, is warning that it is impossible for him to prosecute voter fraud in the state due to a court ruling.
In an interview with Blaze Media’s Glenn Beck, Paxton said that the state’s elections are being threatened by district attorneys who will refuse to bring charges against those who commit voter fraud in 2024.

American Judge Rules in Favor of Twitter, Highlights Need for Corporate Transparency

“The Court of Appeals in the State of Texas, apparently now, you cannot prosecute voter fraud in Texas. Is that true?” Beck asked.
“Yes, that is correct,” Paxton replied. “They struck down a law from 1951, and by the way, I have four things that I’m supposed to do under the Constitution. The final thing is such things as are required by law. And in 1951, the legislature directed the Attorney General — it’s the only thing I have original jurisdiction on as it relates to criminal matters, was voter fraud and the Court of Criminal Appeals.”
“All Republican, by the way,” he continued, “And by the way, nobody knows who they are. This is why I think they’ve been put there, and I’m convinced they’re not Republicans because they struck down this law, and it said, ‘I don’t have the authority to go to court as Attorney General, because I’m in the executive branch.’ That was their rationale for striking down, saying it’s ‘unconstitutional’ for the Attorney General to be in court. I’m like, is that the most insane decision ever?”
“But they did it and now it’s up to the local DAs to prosecute it,” he noted.
“Oh my gosh,” Beck exclaimed.
“The Travis County, the Dallas County, the Harris County, which is Houston, Bexar County stands up — they’re not going to prosecute voter fraud. Guess what? They just opened up voter fraud and the people of Texas need to know that. And there’s three of the nine members up coming up in March for a primary. We have to find people to run and we have to beat those people or we are going to lose the state. I tried to get this law passed again so that I could start doing it again and make them strike it down again. And guess who killed it? Dave Phelan. I called them. He never returned my calls, but I was told by his team that they didn’t have time to pass this law…”
“Oh my gosh,” Beck exclaimed again.
“That’s where we are with Dave Phelan,” he went on. “That’s where we’re with the Texas House, and that’s where we are with the Court of Criminal Appeals that no one knows. And by the way, that is our highest court. It’s like our Supreme Court. We’re only one of two states that has this for all criminal matters. So I have no appeal rights. So when they strike down this as unconstitutional and say, I can’t prosecute voter fraud, I have no ability to get around that. I’m stuck. And that’s what I’m trying to fix.”
“Two years… I can’t prosecute voter fraud,” Paxton added. “And in March I think we’re going to have three people to run against the members of the Court of Appeal. We’ve got to get those people elected. We lost 8-1, and if we can get three new members, we’ll at least be 5-4 and we’ll be sending the message. You cannot strike down…”
“This is a big deal,” Beck noted, before asking, “How did this happen?”
“Okay, so I think George Soros is, my opinion, he was trying to do three things,” Paxton replied. “One, get the DAs elected in these liberal counties. So he beat all Democratic DAs that were prosecuting crimes. He did in Travis County, an unseated Democrat there that was actually prosecuting crimes. He did the same thing in San Antonio. So he got control of that, knowing full well that this would affect voting. Second, he helped put nine members on the Supreme Court, actually eight. Kevin Yeary is awesome, the other eight, no one knows who they are and I think he, because Republicans don’t know who these people are, he was able to get these members of the court to strike down this law. And then the third strategy was get rid of me. And then there’s no hope. There’s nowhere to go. So that was the goal. They didn’t get rid of me. So there’s still hope and we’ve got to change the Court of Criminal Appeals and we’ve got to get the house next time to pass this law.”
The judges on the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals that are standing for partisan election in 2024 are: Sharon Keller, Barbara Hervey and Michelle Slaughter. All of them voted to restrict Paxton from prosecuting voter fraud in Texas.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick concurred with Paxton that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals should reconsider the 2021 ruling that stripped the Attorney General of the authority to prosecute voter fraud cases.
Paxton warned after the ruling that it could “devastating for future elections in Texas.”