Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton said she was elected to uphold the laws of the state constitution when the Texas Senate meets for the impeachment trial of her husband, Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The senator said in a statement on June 19 that she will do her duty in the historic impeachment trial of her husband, but she did not specify whether she plans to recuse herself on a vote to remove the attorney general from office.
“I have twice been elected to represent the nearly one million Texans who reside in Senate District 8, and it is a tremendous honor and privilege to be their voice in the Texas Legislature. Each time I was elected, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of this great state, and Texas law compels each member of the Senate to attend when the Senate meets as a court of impeachment,” Paxton wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.
“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 my constituents deserve it.”
It was the Republican senator’s first public statement since the GOP-led House voted on the impeachment articles against her husband on May 27, when 60 of the 85 House Republicans voted with Democrats in a final vote of 121–23 to adopt the articles of impeachment.
Whether Angela Paxton will cast a vote with her husband’s job on the line has raised ethical questions ahead of the looming trial in the Senate, which is set to begin no later than August. State law compels all senators to attend but is silent on whether she must participate.
A spokesperson in the senator’s office declined to comment when The Epoch Times asked whether the senator planned to vote at her husband’s impeachment trial.
Angela Paxton released the statement the evening before the trial rules were expected to be finalized by the Texas Senate.
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Senate, has declined to comment on Angela Paxton’s potential participation in the trial. The Senate consists of 31 members: 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
In late May, John Scott was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to serve as interim attorney general of Texas. Scott previously served as deputy attorney general for civil litigation when Abbott was the attorney general.
Politically Motivated?
Ken Paxton is temporarily suspended from office pending the outcome of the trial. The staunch conservative is accused of bribery, obstruction of justice, and abuse of public trust.
He has denied any wrongdoing, calling the impeachment politically motivated and based on “inaccuracies, falsehoods, and misstatements” provided in testimony to the Texas House General Investigating Committee.
“RINOS and far-left radicals have established a kangaroo court in the TX Lege. to eliminate America’s most conservative Attorney General. Help me fight back! Would you donate $1, $5, $50, $100 today to show Austin you are in this fight w/me?” Ken Paxton wrote on Twitter.
On May 29, the final day of the regular legislative session, senators selected a committee to develop the rules of procedure.
“We have to write the rules for the trial. There’s some precedent, some law, but it’s 100 years old,” Patrick told conservative talk show host Mark Davis on June 19.
Patrick said some have called on the Senate to dismiss the impeachment, but he said the Senate must take up the issue according to state law.
“We are required in the [Texas] Constitution to have a trial,” Patrick said. “There will be total transparency, and it will be handled properly.”
The committee was granted permission to meet privately and was expected to present its rules the morning of June 20 to the full Senate. The rules were not presented during the morning sessions before the members adjourned. The Senate was scheduled to reconvene later in the day.
Republicans Condemn the Impeachment
Some GOP activists have decried the impeachment of Ken Paxton.
The Republican Party of Texas issued a resolution condemning the move as illegal and politically motivated, citing a lack of due process and opportunity for Ken Paxton to rebut the accusations.
“Be it resolved that the Republican Party of Texas condemns the politically motivated impeachment of Attorney General Paxton by the Texas House of Representatives and hereby implores Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and members of the Texas Senate to uphold Constitutionally guaranteed due process, fairness, precedent, and the rule of law by rendering judgment as a matter of law in the Texas Senate on the ground that the House of Representatives filled to satisfy due process, to comply with applicable law and to adhere to the precedent; that the articles of impeachment be dismissed with prejudice; and that Ken Paxton be allowed to promptly resume his duties as the duly elected Attorney General,” the resolution reads.
Local Republican Party officials have passed resolutions opposing Ken Paxton’s impeachment in several counties, including Atascosa, Gillespie, Parker, Comal, and Williamson counties, as well as Collin County, where the Paxtons reside.
Texas Impeachments
Only two other officials have been impeached and removed from office in the state of Texas.
Gov. James E. Ferguson, a Democrat, is the only statewide official to be impeached and removed from office. He took office in 1915 and was later found guilty of five charges relating to the mishandling of public funds and abuse of power. On Sept. 24, 1917, Ferguson filed his resignation, effective immediately. The following day, the Senate rendered its judgment, removing the popular governor from office.
In 1975, state District Judge O.P. Carillo was impeached and removed from office after being found guilty on 11 of 12 charges of misconduct. He spent three years in jail following his impeachment.
Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial will begin no later than Aug. 28.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
