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State legislators impeached Paxton on May 27 on charges
including bribery and temporarily suspended him from office
pending his trial in the Texas Senate. Paxton is a supporter of
former U.S. President Donald Trump whose lawsuit challenging the
2020 election results was tossed out by the Supreme Court.
The Texas Senate will try Paxton on 20 articles of impeachment
lodged against him. If two-thirds of the 31 senators find him
guilty, he will be removed from office. If not, he will be
reinstated. Paxton's impeachment trial will begin on Sept. 5,
according to CBS Texas.
Paxton's impeachment by the Texas House of Representatives on
allegations of corruption and other irregularities was triggered
by his office's request that the House fund a $3.3 million
lawsuit settlement he reached with four whistleblowers from his
office.
Paxton has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Aside from his
impeachment, he is under a separate corruption investigation by
the Justice Department, according to the special prosecutors in
Texas leading his state case.
"The House has ignored precedent, denied him an opportunity to
present his defense and now wants to ambush him on the floor of
the Senate," Paxton's attorney, Tony Buzbee, said in a statement
late on Monday.
"We will not bow to their evil, illegal, and unprecedented
weaponization of state power in the Senate chamber," the
attorney added.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Josie
Kao)
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