CNN
—
Just days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the state House speaker of presiding over the chamber while drunk and called on him to resign, a GOP-led House ethics panel heard explosive testimony from investigators detailing their described as years of attorney misconduct. general, later recommended his impeachment.
The week’s events marked an outbreak of simmering tensions between two of the top Republicans in the most populous red state.
The surprising outburst of public outrage was years in the making. Paxton, an ultra-conservative figure who aligned himself with former President Donald Trump and used his office to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, has long positioned the House leadership as more liberal.
His attacks on state House Speaker Dade Phelan are a clear window into a political environment where Republicans control all levers of state government but are divided into several warring factions. for power and influence.
Paxton on Tuesday posted on Twitter a letter to the state’s House General Investigating Committee, the chamber’s ethics panel, demanding an investigation into Phelan for performing his duties in what Paxton described as “an apparent intoxication.”
Paxton’s call for Phelan’s resignation came after a video circulated on social media over the weekend of Phelan appearing to slur his words as he presided over the House at the end of Friday night’s session.
Paxton did not present any evidence beyond the video clips to support his claim that Phelan was drunk.
“It is with great disappointment that I call on Speaker Dade Phelan to resign at the end of this legislative session,” Paxton said in a statement posted on his Twitter account. “Texans were dismayed to witness his performance presiding over the Texas House in an apparently debilitating state of intoxication.”
Less than an hour later, the State House General Investigating Committee – a panel that investigates corruption in state government and has the power to initiate impeachment proceedings – revealed that it had subpoenaed the records from Paxton’s office as part of an investigation that Phelan’s office said began in March.
The five-person committee voted unanimously on Thursday to recommend the impeachment of Paxton, who filed 20 articles in the state House. It was not immediately clear when it would be considered by the full chamber.
“Just yesterday, four liberals submitted a report to the House General Investigating Committee based on hearsay and rumours, parroting long unproven claims. Now, the Committee asks the Texas House of Representatives to use their baseless report to ignore the results of a free and fair election,” Paxton said in part of a statement Thursday.
“This process does not provide an opportunity for rebuttal or due process. They even refused to allow a senior lawyer from my office to present the facts. They rejected every attempt to find a full account. in truth,” he continued.
Phelan’s office said Paxton’s allegation was retaliation for the House ethics probe.
“Mr. Paxton’s statement today amounts to little more than a last-ditch effort to save face,” Phelan communications director Cait Wittman said in a statement Tuesday.
The Democratic state Rep. Terry Canales said the broader context of Friday’s all-day session made it clear that Phelan was “out of influence.”
“At that time of night the House was in session for more than 13 hours and we did it for several days in a row. We were all exhausted,” Canales said in a statement. interactions with the speaker throughout the day and that night and I could tell he was not under the influence.”
The acrimony between Phelan and Paxton underscores personal and ideological tensions within the GOP as the party approaches its 2024 presidential primary.
Phelan has also clashed in recent months with another more conservative Republican official, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, on property tax relief, school choice and other important issues.
The state House hearing is the latest in a series of legal troubles for Paxton. CNN previously reported that he faces an FBI investigation for abuse of office and that Justice Department prosecutors in Washington, DC, have taken over the corruption investigation. He is also under indictment for securities fraud in a separate, unrelated case. Paxton has denied all charges and allegations.
On Wednesday, a team of lawyers working with the House ethics panel spent three hours laying out the details of allegations of misconduct against Paxton over the years.
The investigation began in March after Paxton sought to use $3.3 million in state dollars to settle a whistleblower lawsuit after four former employees of the attorney general’s office accused him of using his authority to benefit a political friend. that Nate Paul, a real estate investor who donated ten. of thousands of dollars to Paxton’s campaign. At the trial, Paxton apologized but did not admit wrongdoing or accept responsibility. He denied wrongdoing and said in a statement that he agreed to the settlement “to put this issue to rest.”
When the hearing took place on Wednesday, the Texas Tribune reported that Paxton called into Dallas radio host Mark Davis’ show and criticized the investigation.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
