Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton finds himself in trouble once more, much to the outrage of his MAGA supporters. Paxton was previously impeached by a majority-Republican state House of Representatives over allegations of bribery and criminal retaliation against his staff. The FBI is reportedly still investigating these claims. Despite this, GOP loyalists in the Texas Senate acquitted him of all charges.
Paxton then launched a revenge campaign against the legislators who voted for his impeachment, resulting in several losing their primaries and House Speaker Dade Phelan barely surviving a bitter runoff. On Wednesday, Paxton, a staunch Trump ally and extreme-right figure who has enforced a total abortion ban and attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election, announced that a House investigative committee might be preparing to impeach him again.
“Their bitter obsession with taking me down knows no bounds, and they will stop at nothing to remove me from office,” he raged. Paxton’s supporters on social media, many of whom are not even from Texas, erupted in fury. Shiloh Platts, head of the Beaumont chapter of the right-wing True Texas Project, tweeted, “Evidently they didn’t get the message clearly enough the first time they tried to derail @KenPaxtonTX on doctored up allegations. RINO Hunt Round 2? They’re begging for it…”
Other comments included, “Texas is full of communists too,” from the account @raftoregon, and “Those filthy scumbags never give up,” from @ColinChilson. User @MaulStanMI added, “It’s hilarious how the Austin Swamp are gluttons for punishment. Because they sure have learned nothing after losing 15 of their members who voted to impeach Ken Paxton during the primary cycle.”
This turmoil follows Paxton’s successful dismissal of a decade-long state criminal charge for securities fraud. Prosecutors dropped the charge after he fulfilled the terms of a pretrial agreement. As the political drama unfolds, the future of Texas politics remains uncertain. Paxton’s latest battle highlights the deep divisions within the Republican Party and the fierce loyalty of his supporters, who view attempts to impeach him as part of a relentless vendetta.