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After being impeached in the Texas House, Senators voted to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton on 16 impeachment articles. Paxton had been accused of abusing his office to benefit a political donor. He denied the allegations. Had Paxton been convicted on any of the articles, he would have been ousted from office.
"Today the truth prevailed. The truth could not be buried by mudslinging politicians or their powerful benefactors. I've said many times: Seek the truth! And that is what was accomplished," said Paxton.
The following is a statement from Governor Greg Abbott following the outcome of the impeachment trial:
"The jury has spoken. Attorney General Paxton received a fair trial as required by the Texas Constitution. Attorney General Paxton has done an outstanding job representing Texas, especially pushing back against the Biden Administration. I look forward to continuing to work with him to secure the border and protect Texas from federal overreach."
The following is a statement from attorney Rusty Hardin on the outcome of the impeachment trial:
"I want to praise the Texas House of Representatives and their appointed House managers for having the courage to bring this case and to show the people of Texas the multiple instances of misconduct and the attorney general’s abuse of his office. The career prosecutors and investigators that investigated and presented the evidence to the House deserve equal credit. When the House voted in a bipartisan way to recommend impeachment to the Senate, they made a non-political decision in a highly charged political atmosphere. They put party above politics and earned our well-deserved respect. The House managers, through their lawyers, presented an overwhelming factual case of wrongdoing and abuse of office. Mr. Paxton, who so loudly claimed he was unaware of the evidence against him, chose not to attend his own trial. If this were a regular jury trial, Mr. Paxton would have been convicted without hesitation. But this wasn’t a regular jury trial, it was a political trial. Today’s vote ignores an extraordinary trail of misconduct, all factually proven. The senators chose to ignore all that evidence and return the attorney general to office. We can’t change the outcome, but we can continue to praise the whistleblowers who had the courage to come forward. They are not only victims, but also heroes. Our heartfelt thanks go out to them and to the House and its board of managers who had the courage to come forward with this evidence at great political and personal risk."