UNITED STATES NEWS

Big-name Texas attorneys hired to present impeachment case against Ken Paxton

Jun 1, 2023, 3:06 PM

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two prominent Texas attorneys with a long list of famous clients will present the case for impeachment against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and called for transparency Thursday once the trial gets underway this summer in the state Capitol.

The hiring of Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin, announced by a state House committee that has accused Paxton of bribery and misuse of office, underlines how aggressively a Republican-led investigation is moving to oust the state’s top lawyer in the face of backlash from the GOP’s hard right.

Over decades in Texas, DeGuerin and Hardin have become practically as recognizable in courtrooms as the politicians and famous figures they have represented. For DeGuerin, that includes former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay on charges of money laundering and Branch Davidian leader David Koresh.

Both told reporters they were alarmed by the findings against Paxton and said they will present the case to the jury — in this case, Texas’ 31 state senators — as they would in any trial, which is set to begin no later than Aug. 28.

“I promise you, it’s ten times worse than has been public,” Hardin said.

The Senate will set its own rules for a trial that has little precedent. Paxton is just the third sitting official in Texas history to be impeached.

Paxton has been under FBI investigation for years over accusations that he used his office to help a donor and was separately indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, though he has yet to stand trial. His party had long taken a muted stance on the allegations — but that changed when 60 of the House’s 85 Republicans, including Speaker Dade Phelan, voted to impeach.

Six employees at the Texas attorney general’s office, including the solicitor general, have taken leaves of absence to help defend Paxton, who is temporarily suspended from office pending the outcome of the trial.

Solicitor General Judd Stone and one of Paxton’s defense attorneys, Philip Hilder, declined to comment.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, said Wednesday he cannot comment on the proceedings.

Among the questions is whether Paxton’s wife, Republican state Sen. Angela Paxton, will take part or recuse herself. She has made no public statements about the impeachment and declined comment earlier this week.

“We know the importance of transparency in these proceedings because the people have a right to know,” DeGuerin said.

Hardin, a former prosecutor in Houston, faced accusations of sexual misconduct while playing for the Houston Texans.

On Wednesday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott appointed the state’s former elections chief, John Scott, as the state’s interim attorney general.

___

Associated Press reporter Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.

United States News

Associated Press

Father of Palestinian American boy slain outside Chicago files wrongful death lawsuit

CHICAGO (AP) — The father of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy fatally stabbed in what authorities allege was a hate crime has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Oday Al-Fayoume filed the lawsuit last month against the suburban Chicago landlord charged in the attack that left his child dead and the boy’s mother seriously wounded. The […]

1 hour ago

Two women hug as Muslim and Jewish women gather at an interfaith workshop on the Israeli-Palestinia...

Associated Press

In US, some Muslim-Jewish interfaith initiatives are strained by Israel-Hamas war

Shireen Quaizar was wracked with doubt. For years, the school psychologist has been active in Muslim-Jewish interfaith dialogue, but the Israel-Hamas war left her reeling. “What are we doing with talking to each other?” she recalled thinking, frustrated by a conversation about the exact number of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike. “This doesn’t work.” […]

5 hours ago

FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves the Capitol after being expelled from the House of Repres...

Associated Press

Republicans had New Yorkers lead the way in expelling Santos. Will it help them keep the majority?

WASHINGTON (AP) — George Santos is gone from the House, but his name is certain to pop up in key congressional races across New York next year. Democrats are targeting five seats held by first-term Republicans and looking to associate them with their former colleague in the state’s congressional delegation as often as they can. […]

5 hours ago

Associated Press

Israel orders more people in crowded southern Gaza to evacuate as heavy bombardment shifts there

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel on Sunday ordered more evacuations in and around Gaza’s second-largest city of Khan Younis, followed by heavy bombardment, as the military’s offensive shifted to the southern half of the territory where Israeli officials assert that leaders of the Hamas militant group are hiding. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip […]

10 hours ago

This photo provided by Mattel shows a Barbie doll of Wilma Mankiller. Toy maker Mattel is honoring ...

Associated Press

Barbie doll honoring Cherokee Nation leader is met with mixed emotions

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An iconic chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller, inspired countless Native American children as a powerful but humble leader who expanded early education and rural healthcare. Her reach is now broadening with a quintessential American honor: a Barbie doll in the late Mankiller’s likeness as part of toymaker Mattel’s “Inspiring […]

13 hours ago

Notes from students expressing support and sharing coping strategies paper a wall, as members of th...

Associated Press

Lacking counselors, US schools turn to the booming business of online therapy

Trouble with playground bullies started for Maria Ishoo’s daughter in elementary school. Girls ganged up, calling her “fat” and “ugly.” Boys tripped and pushed her. The California mother watched her typically bubbly second-grader retreat into her bedroom and spend afternoons curled up in bed. For Valerie Aguirre’s daughter in Hawaii, a spate of middle school […]

13 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

(KTAR News Graphic)...

KTAR launches online holiday auction benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

KTAR is teaming up with The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley for a holiday auction benefitting thousands of Valley kids.

Follow @KTAR923...

The best ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day and give back to the community

Veterans Day is fast approaching and there's no better way to support our veterans than to donate to the Military Assistance Mission.

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Importance of AC maintenance after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

An air conditioning unit in Phoenix is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat.

Big-name Texas attorneys hired to present impeachment case against Ken Paxton