You were expecting justice?

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted Saturday in an impeachment trial before the state Senate. He was accused of abusing his office to protect a political donor.

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This verdict is the culmination of a nearly four-month saga that started in May, when the GOP-led Texas House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to impeach Paxton.

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Paxton has been suspended from his duties since May, when the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach him. Saturday's Senate vote automatically reinstates Paxton to his role as attorney general.

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Senators deliberated for nearly nine hours before reaching a verdict. A two-thirds vote — or 21 of the 30 eligible senators — was needed to convict Paxton on each of the 16 articles of impeachment he faced.

  NPR

Not even one article passed.

The House's move came after Paxton asked for $3.3 million to settle a lawsuit with four of his former deputies who sued him after being fired shortly after they reported Paxton's alleged misdeeds to the FBI.

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Paxton asked his top deputies for legal counsel on a disputed records request involving Nate Paul, an Austin businessman who was being investigated by federal law enforcement.

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Paxton told one of his deputies he didn't want his office to help the FBI or the Texas Department of Public Safety on the investigation involving Paul.

Paxton eventually hired an outside attorney, which goes against agency protocol, to issue grand jury subpoenas to help Paul in his fight against the federal government, investigators said. Brandon Cammack, the hired attorney, testified that he was never paid by Paxton's office but did do the work.

Stiffing contractors sounds familiar.

Throughout this impeachment process, Paxton has received the support of former President Donald Trump.

Color me shocked.

House impeachment managers also alleged that Paul paid for Paxton's home renovations, particularly new cabinets and countertops — something the defense argued never happened, showing photos as evidence that the countertops had not been changed.

The prosecution responded with evidence showing Paxton made a payment of over $121,000 to a construction company associated with Paul on Oct. 1, 2020, a day after Paxton's former employees reported him to the FBI.

Money laundering perhaps?

Paxton is scheduled to have an interview next week with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Anyone still watching Tucker?

The FBI is investigating the allegations made by [Paxton's] former employees. According to The Associated Press, prosecutors took grand jury testimony from Paxton's former personal aide Drew Wicker in August.

Paxton has also been under indictment since 2015 for securities fraud, but has yet to face a trial.

So maybe some justice is still possible.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

DENIED

Angela Paxton wouldn't recuse from voting on her husband's impeachment, so they made a new rule.

The Texas state Senate voted Wednesday night to adopt a new rule that would bar the spouses of those facing impeachment from participating in the trial. According to the resolution, the spouse will be considered “present and eligible” on the day of the trial for the purposes of the Senate calculation of the number of votes.

“A member of the court who is the spouse of a party to the court of impeachment is considered to have a conflict pursuant to Article III, Section 22, of the Texas Constitution,” the resolution reads.

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The state senator had said Monday that she planned to hold up her senatorial duties and participate in her husband’s impeachment trial.

  The Hill

Sorry, Angie.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) was impeached by the Republican-led Texas House in a 121-23 vote last month and was immediately suspended from his official duties. The state attorney general, who decried the impeachment vote as a “politically motivated sham,” was impeached for more than 20 charges including bribery, obstruction of justice, false statements, dereliction of duty, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust.

Hoax, Ken. We're calling these things hoaxes these days.  Or, in the alternative, witch hunt.

What? You got a problem with this?

Ken Paxton's wife will not recuse.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s wife, a state senator, announced Monday that she will take part in impeachment proceedings against her husband. “Texas law compels each member of the Senate to attend when the Senate meets as a court of impeachment. As a member of the Senate, I hold these obligations sacred and I will carry out my duties, not because it is easy, but because the Constitution demands it and because my constituents deserve it,” Angela Paxton said in a statement. Paxton faces 20 articles of impeachment—and one of them alleges the Republican had an affair with a woman and later arranged for her to get a job with a donor at the center of his corruption scandal.

  Daily Beast

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 06/22/2023:  Oh, darn. The Texas Senate adopted a new rule, barring Angela from voting on the issue.

Impeaching Ken Paxton