Texas Attorney General Paxton Acquitted

Facts

• On Saturday, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was fully acquitted of 16 charges of corruption, bribery, and misconduct following his impeachment trial.¹
• Paxton can now be reinstated more than three months after he was suspended from office because the GOP-led Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach him over charges he abused his power.²
• Paxton, who denied the charges throughout the process, said 'the truth prevailed' after the verdict.³
• Previously, a Texas House committee investigation accused Paxton of several crimes — including utilizing the power of his office to help friend and donor Nate Paul, who is a real estate developer in Austin.⁴
• Paxton’s impeachment acquittal comes while he is still facing two first-degree felony charges of securities fraud and a third-degree felony charge of failure to register from 2015. He has pleaded not guilty and postponed the trial while he’s serving in office.⁵

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Al Jazeera, ³Reuters, ⁴Politico and ⁵CBS.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. Democrats, the liberal media, and even left-leaning Republicans conducted a witch hunt based on rumor and innuendo, and they lost. Paxton maintained his innocence throughout this process, and this verdict is vindication against this politically motivated attack.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. Paxton hasn’t been vindicated in this case, he’s just been saved by Republicans willing to place him above the law because he shares their politics. They used the Trump playbook to characterize his crimes as a 'witch hunt' in the face of overwhelming evidence of guilt. Justice hasn’t been served, and democracy has been jeopardized.