AUSTIN, Texas – Angela Paxton, the wife of Attorney General Ken Paxton, released a written statement Monday after her husband was acquitted on all 20 articles of impeachment in the Texas Senate on Saturday in Austin.
The trial was a showcase of sober testimony and occasional spectacle. In accusing Paxton of abusing his office, former advisers recounted how Texas’ top lawyer allegedly pressured them to help a political donor who was under FBI investigation, the Texas Tribune reported. The testimony included arguments over who paid for home renovations, whether Paxton used burner phones and how his alleged extramarital affair became a strain on the office.
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Paxton denied wrongdoing and his attorneys argued there either was no evidence or wasn’t enough to rise beyond a reasonable doubt.
READ: An emboldened Ken Paxton returns to a battered attorney general’s office
Angela Paxton was not allowed a vote in the trial. But she attended all two weeks of the proceedings, including one dramatic moment when a woman was called to publicly testify about an affair she had with the state senator’s husband.
The woman ultimately never took the witness stand, but her relationship with Ken Paxton was central to a case accusing him of going to potentially criminal lengths to help a local real estate developer named Nate Paul, who was under FBI investigation at the time.
Angela Paxton released the following statement:
Last weekend, the Texas Senate assembled as a court of impeachment and voted to acquit and dismiss all 20 articles of impeachment brought by the House Board of Managers against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. This was a monumental moment in Texas history, for me as a senator and of course personally as well. I am incredibly grateful for the outpouring of personal support and encouragement that I have received over the past 5 months. Thank you.
I wholeheartedly affirm the Senate’s decision to acquit. Although prohibited from voting on the articles of impeachment, I was present as a member of the court for the entire trial, and I listened carefully to every word of testimony on behalf of my constituents. Had I been allowed to vote, I would have cast my vote with those who acquitted on each and every article, and also with the six senators who voted affirmatively on the motions to dismiss presented at the beginning of the proceedings.
I strongly support the Lieutenant Governor’s recommendations directed at legislatively and constitutionally addressing requirements for any future impeachment proceedings to ensure that due process and taxpayer dollars are protected against political weaponization. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure these essential protections.
Finally, I am ready to get back to the important work of representing you, my constituents, in the upcoming special session. I’m looking forward to defending critical parental rights, protections, and educational opportunities for all Texas children.
The Texas Tribune contributed to this story.
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