Texas Lawmakers Say AG Ken Paxton Should Be Impeached Over Corruption as Republican Rift Continues

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing a mounting pile of corruption allegations and legal woes. He is being investigated by the Texas House of Representatives and the FBI.

The House General Investigating Committee has been looking into "alleged illegal conduct" by Paxton, while the FBI is investigating him over accusations of corruption by his former staff members.

House Speaker Dade Phelan was the one who announced that the committee has been investigating Paxton earlier this week.

On Thursday, the Texas House committee, led by fellow Republicans, voted unanimously to recommend the impeachment of Paxton. The panel spent three hours on Wednesday deliberating on several serious crimes they believed Paxton committed.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Paxton is accused of using the resources of his office in order to help a friend and campaign donor, Austin real estate investor Nate Paul.

Investigators cited claims made by four former Paxton aides regarding this. The aides filed a lawsuit claiming that Paxton fired them as a form of retaliation after they pointed out that he was abusing his power as Texas AG to help out a campaign donor.

The impeachment recommendation is considered "an extraordinary and nearly unprecedented move in state history." This was the first time that the Texas legislature impeached an official since 1975.

At the time, a district judge was ousted after being found guilty of embezzlement and other fraud. The only other state official impeached was Texas Governor James Edward "Pa" Ferguson in 1917.

Texas AG Ken Paxton Fires Back Against Fellow Republicans

Ken Paxton is not going down quietly as he hit back at fellow Republicans in the Texas House who were investigating him.

His main antagonist is Republican House Speaker Dan Phelan, whom he not only accused of being drunk on the job during a recent House session but also called him a "liberal."

Phelan merely brushed off these accusations and said the embattled Texas AG was just trying to "save face."

Philip Hilder, one of the defense attorneys for Paxton, recently told the Associated Press that his client's alleged wrongdoings should be left to the courts.

"These matters are appropriate for resolution in a judicial system, not in a political system," he said.

In the Texas State House of Representatives, Republicans hold an overwhelming majority, 85-64, against the Democrats.

However, in the case of Paxton, a Donald Trump ally, Republicans seem to be divided as it is still unclear how many will be siding with the House Speaker and how many will be siding with Paxton.

The state House has 150 members, and for the impeachment to be successful, a two-thirds majority vote is needed.

Republican Divide in Texas Over Ken Paxton

The New York Times reported that despite pro-Trump elements turning more to the right, the Texas House had stayed a bulwark for moderates in the state.

While House Speaker Dade Phelan, who is publicly critical of Trump's hold in the party, he is also getting push back from far-right lawmakers and conservative activists aligned with the state's AG.

The Texas House's investigation on Ken Paxton revealed more about the Republicans' infighting and has even surprised many veteran observers of state politics.

"I would say this is as detrimental and important a scandal as we've seen in Texas political history," said University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus.

"Not just because of what happened, but because of how long it's been going on and how Paxton has been able to survive it," he added.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Faces Impeachment - From WFAA