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May 30 (Reuters) –
Here are the main events leading to the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton by the state House of Representatives, which is controlled by his fellow Republicans. A state Senate committee will draft rules for his trial, which is not yet scheduled but will begin on or before Aug. 28.
January 2015 – Paxton takes office after his election as Texas attorney general, the state’s top law enforcement officer. He previously served for a decade in the Texas House of Representatives, from 2003 to 2013, and for two years in the Texas Senate, from 2013 to 2015.
July 2015 – Paxton is indicted by state prosecutors on three felony securities fraud charges. The indictment alleges Paxton misled investors in a technology company and failed to register as a securities adviser. Paxton maintains his innocence in the case, which has faced repeated delays and not yet gone to trial.
November 2018 – Paxton is elected to a second term as attorney general.
2020 – Whistleblowers from the Texas attorney general’s office accuse Paxton of multiple corruption allegations, which he denies. Several whistleblowers are fired or forced from the office. A federal corruption investigation into Paxton opens.
November 2022 – Paxton is elected to a third term as attorney general.
February 2023 – Paxton agrees to settle a lawsuit brought by four of the whistleblowers for $3.3. million, without admitting wrongdoing. The lawsuit remains pending before the Texas Supreme Court; no settlement payment has been made. The Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section takes over the separate federal corruption investigation, according to the special prosecutors in Paxton’s state case.
May 23, 2023 – The Texas House Committee on General Investigating says it has been investigating Paxton for months. The investigation was triggered by Paxton’s request that the legislature approve taxpayers’ funds to pay the $3.3 million settlement with the whistleblowers. Lawmakers refused to fund payment of the settlement.
May 25, 2023 – The Texas House Committee on General Investigating recommends in a 5-0 vote that Paxton be impeached on 20 articles including accusations of bribery, abuse of public trust and obstruction. Paxton says he is innocent of all allegations and that the action is politically motivated.
May 27, 2023 – The Texas House votes 121-23 to impeach Paxton. He is temporarily suspended of his duties pending an impeachment trial in the Texas Senate, which also is controlled by Republicans. Paxton’s wife, Angela, is a senator.
May 29, 2023 – The Texas House names 12 members – seven Republicans and five Democrats – to prosecute the case against Paxton in the Senate trial. The Senate in a resolution creates a seven-member committee to lay out the rules for Paxton’s trial. The rules will be made public on June 20. The Senate says the trial shall begin no later than August 28, 2023.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by Donna Bryson and Bill Berkrot)
