What to know about Texas AG Ken Paxton impeachment trial
All eyes remain on the Republican Party as the Texas Senate is set to begin a historic impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton over years-long charges including power abuse, corruption and lawbreaking.
No matter what the result could be, the trial has already become a political spectacle, grabbing the attention of millions across the US. It is expected to shake Texas politics, especially among the more hard-right leadership of the state’s Republican Party, according to Xinhua.
A two-thirds majority of the chamber – or 21 of the 31 senators – must vote against the Republican strongman and ally of former US President Donald Trump to permanently remove him from office. But a great deal of politics could come into play here.
Paxton’s Wife Angela One Of The Jury Members
12 Senate Democrats and 19 Republicans, including Paxton’s wife Angela, will serve as the jury for the impeachment trial starting Tuesday, considering witness testimony, cross-examination, opening and closing statements and 20 articles of impeachment.
It implies even if all 12 Democrats choose to vote against the suspended Attorney General, they would still need at least nine Republicans. While trial rules won’t allow Angela to vote, her presence – which is mandated by state law – means she counts as one of the jury members.
Republican Lieutenant Governor and Texas Senate President Dan Patrick, who will sit at the epicentre of the trial as its presiding officer, said in an interview: “It’s not a criminal trial. It’s not a civil trial. It’s a political trial.” Many believe Paxton’s fate is more or less in his hands.
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‘Politically Motivated Sham’
Paxton has denied any wrongdoing and called the impeachment trial a “politically motivated sham”. If the two-thirds majority of the chamber secures a conviction, he could be removed from office and prohibited from holding future state office. But he could still run for federal positions.
In May, the state House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to impeach Paxton. Up to 60 Republicans voted against the state’s top lawyer, including House Speaker Dade Phelan. The Democrats in Texas have long been raising concerns over Paxton’s association with corruption.
The suspended Attorney General is only the third sitting official in Texas’s centuries-old history to be impeached, following District Judge O P Carrillo in 1975 and Governor James Ferguson in 1917. It remains to be seen if the outcome would hurt party senators at the polls.
