Paxton Impeachment Ends: Final Score Paxton 1, Texas 0
The Texas Senate's decisions in the impeachment trial of Ken Paxton were hardly surprising but still depressing. His acquittal begs the question: what does a guy have to do to cross the line?
Welcome to our special coverage of the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton here at Life Its Ownself! Please subscribe and encourage others to do so. Your support inspires me to write and publish regularly. All my content is free, but your paid subscription is a big affirmation. Please let me know how I’m doing by 1) liking, 2) subscribing, 3) sharing with others, and 4) commenting below.
(The Texas Capitol Building. As Bob Eckhardt famously said, “built by giants, inhabited by pygmies.”)
Saturday, September 16, 2023
It’s over. The Texas Senate has acquitted Twice-Indicted, Impeached, Suspended and Disgraced Attorney General Ken Paxton (my vote for the new letterhead). No more than two GOP senators voted for any of the Articles of Impeachment, none of which mustered more than 14 of the necessary 21 votes.
To top it off, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick delivered a deranged stem-winder criticizing the House of Representatives for the process by which the impeachment was handed to them and calling for constitutional and statutory changes to the impeachment process.
There will be much to say about this in the future, but here are some quick thoughts:
This will be Chapter 1,000 in the Profiles in Cowardice of the Texas Legislature and ultimately a stain on the reputation of the Senate, especially if Paxton gets indicted by the feds for the same crimes.
The Republicans who control Texas government now have shown themselves incapable of reining in even their most corrupt and sordid officials. As I suggested this morning, if Texas government cannot deliver accountability, there are no limits to the amount of corruption it will tolerate. Things will get worse before they get better.
The Texas Whistleblower Act is a dead letter as of today. Every state employee now knows that, no matter what they’ve witnessed or how they’ve been treated, the whistleblower process is a useless remedy.
As suggested by the tone of Patrick’s harangue, the usual tension and gamesmanship between the House and Senate have been turned up to 11. The first battle will be a long-anticipated special session on vouchers this fall. The House has fought off vouchers for years, but will be on the political defensive now – exactly where Abbott and Patrick want them.
The ideological and financial forces that rallied around Paxton – wealthy donors, grassroots activists, a conservative media infrastructure – are now coming for Dade Phelan and for the 60 GOP House members who voted to impeach. Expect a lot of retirement announcements from non-reactionary GOP House members this fall.
With Paxton’s return to the OAG, expect to see a lot of retirements among longtime career lawyers and other staff in the agency.
My thanks to the Life Its Ownself community for reading, subscribing and commenting as we navigated this historic impeachment together. I am delighted to share this platform with you and inspired by how much you care about your state and the better future we want for all Texans.
Your reporting is spot on, especially related to the gauntlet thrown down by Patrick to the House. Disappointing. Heartbreaking.
Well done, Deece. Your reporting has been informative , wise, and witty. You’ve covered a disgusting, dispiriting spectacle in a way that has kept us up to date while adding the sense of humor necessary to keep the sane Texans among us from jumping from the highest point we could find. Very nice work.