Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, has appointed an interim state attorney general in the wake of Ken Paxton's impeachment over misconduct accusations.
Pending Paxton's trial in the state Senate, former Texas GOP Secretary of State John B. Scott will take his spot until it is finished or if Paxton has been removed from office.
"John Scott has the background and experience needed to step in as a short-term interim attorney general during the time the attorney general has been suspended from duty," Abbott stated.
"His decades of experience and expertise in litigation will help guide him while serving as the state's top law enforcement officer," he continued. "I appoint John Scott for this role based on the Texas Constitution to serve for a temporary period during the Texas Senate's resolution of the impeachment proceedings."
The news arrives after the Republican-led state House voted Saturday to impeach Paxton on 20 counts, including the misuse of official information, abuse of his powers, and improper retaliation against whistleblowers.
However, at the forefront of the unofficial charges were accusations of infidelity and bribery, specifically an alleged donor quid-pro-quo that involved remodeling Paxton's house and finding a job for his alleged affair partner.
Paxton, himself a Republican, was subsequently suspended from his position and will face the state's GOP-controlled upper chamber no later than Aug. 28.
He has consistently denied the findings from the state House investigative committee responsible for advancing the unofficial charges to a floor vote, and he blamed embattled Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan.
Phelan has been the target of accusations of showing up to the House floor drunk after he appeared to slur his words at the end of a 14-hour session last week.
"This sham impeachment is the result of the Phelan leadership team empowering Democrats, allowing them to hold leadership positions and letting them control the agenda," Texas Republican Party Chair Matt Rinaldi posted on Twitter.
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