Texas Businessman Who Bribed State AG Ken Paxton Arrested by FBI

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is not only facing impeachment but also an investigation by the FBI. He is accused of being bribed by Texas businessman Nate Paul. Now, Paul has been arrested by federal authorities in Travis County while Paxton himself is suspended from his duties as Texas AG due to the impeachment.

Paul is an Austin real estate developer and a campaign donor to the embattled Texas AG. He is central to the allegations that Paxton is facing right now, and he may also be the key that may kick the suspended state AG out of office.

According to the Texas Tribune, Paul was booked into the Travis County Jail on Thursday on a federal warrant at around 4:25 pm. The outlet reached out to Paul's lawyers, the US Attorney's Office, the FBI, and Ken Paxton, but their calls were not returned immediately.

It was noted that it remains unclear whether his arrest by the FBI is related to the allegations that he paid off Paxton, who is also a personal friend of the Texas businessman.

Texas AG Ken Paxton's Connection To Arrested Texas Businessman Nate Paul

The arrest came after a yearslong federal investigation into Nate Paul, whom AG Paxton helped by using the resources of his public office in building his real estate empire.

Paxton's former deputies, whom the AG soon fired after they accused him of being bribed by his friend, claimed that their former boss used his power to order his own staffers to be involved in legal disputes related to Paul's businesses. At that time, the FBI, as well as several other law enforcement agencies, were already investigating the businessman.

In addition, Paul also employed a woman whom Paxton admitted to having an extramarital affair with.

According to the Associated Press, authorities suspected that it was Paul who allegedly paid for the renovations at Paxton's Austin home. The timing of the payment, as well as who exactly paid for them, was not known before Paxton's legal team held a press conference regarding the matter.

The Paxton defense team stated that the one who paid $120,000 for his home renovation was not a donor. It was paid to Cupertino Builders, whose manager was an associate of Paul. However, the company reportedly did not incorporate as a business in Texas until more than three weeks after the transaction.

Paxton's lawyers also claimed that it was their clients who made those repairs.

Ken Paxton Impeachment Exposes Republican Infighting in Texas

Ken Paxton is a MAGA Republican, with his allegiance to former President Donald Trump running deep. However, the impeachment proceedings showed that even with a supermajority, a majority of Republicans voted for impeaching him, with only a few far-right allies sticking by the embattled AG.

The vote to impeach Paxton was bipartisan but it was led by the more moderate Republicans like House Speaker Dade Phelan, who is not only a critic of Paxton but also of Donald Trump.

Over the last few weeks, many state House Republicans have since spoken up about Paxton, but prominent MAGA Republicans like Ted Cruz and Trump himself showed their solidarity.

However, the impeachment showed that there is indeed infighting in Texas House Republicans as even with the supermajority, they failed to agree on taxes, school choice, stricter immigration laws, and other conservative priorities, according to the Texas Tribune.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Ken Paxton associate Nate Paul arrested on federal charges - WFAA