Texas House committee moves to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton

A Texas House panel adopted articles of impeachment against Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday afternoon.

The decision by the House General Investigating Committee comes a day after the panel heard from investigators who shared a long list of Paxton’s alleged illegal acts aimed at protecting a political donor.

Chairman Andrew Murr, R-Junction, didn’t elaborate on the decision, telling reporters he would talk more at a later time.

On Wednesday morning, four House-hired investigators revealed they uncovered evidence of multiple violations of the law and Paxton’s oath of office, including abuse of official capacity, misuse of official information, and retaliation and official oppression.

Many of the allegations were previously known, with Wednesday’s hearing being the first time they were discussed publicly and in such detail.

Paxton has vehemently denied the allegations.

The panel’s decision comes as part of a months-long investigation into Paxton’s settlement of a lawsuit brought by four employees-turned-whistleblowers, who were fired in 2020 after making accusations about the Republican’s misdeeds and reporting them.

Most of the alleged illegal acts relate to Austin real estate investor Nate Paul, who made a $25,000 contribution to Paxton’s campaign. Paul was being investigated by the FBI and investigators say Paxton tried to use his office to intervene in the investigation.

This is a developing story.