Saturday's overwhelming House vote to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sets the three-term Republican up for a trial in the Senate, but does not prove guilt on any charges, and according to state law, two-thirds of the GOP-controlled chamber must be reached to find him guilty on the 20-count impeachment charges.
Paxton, who is temporarily on the sidelines as attorney general, will face trial in the state's 31-member Senate, which is controlled by Republicans who hold a 19-12 majority, reports The Dallas Morning News.
One of those Republicans is Paxton's wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, who represents the state's 8th District. She is also the chair of the Texas Senate Republican Caucus. It has not been made clear how she plans to vote, or if she will abstain.
The attorney general is also a former member of the state House and Senate and served along with 21 senators who remain in office, the Dallas newspaper notes.
Paxton, who was only notified Tuesday about the impending proceedings, has maintained his innocence, and on Friday called for his supporters to come to the Capitol Saturday for a peaceful protest.
Dozens of the supporters were in the House gallery, and at one point, Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, slammed his gavel and demanded order when they cheered a speech opposing the attorney general's impeachment.
The state Republican Party has also backed Paxton, slamming the impeachment hearing as a "sham," and on Friday, Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, sent out a recorded phone call asking GOP voters to tell their state lawmakers to vote against impeachment.
"I feel like it's rushed," Tinderholt said Saturday. "I perceived that it could be political weaponization."
State Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, meanwhile, said that holding the proceedings on the Memorial Day holiday weekend is like "dumping" news on a Friday night.
"When we go home we will have to defend — each one of us — not only the final results we reached [but we] also have to defend the process by which this determination was made," Smithee said. "To me this process is indefensible."
Paxton has insisted that the investigation against him is a form of political retaliation for the legal actions his office took against the Biden administration and maintains that the 20 articles of impeachment are based on allegations that have long been public while voters have reelected him twice.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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