Ken Paxton impeachment investigation expands into attorney general’s real estate spending
Brady Knox
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Prosecutors in the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have expanded their investigation into his real estate dealings.
The dealings under scrutiny are $3.5 million worth of properties purchased by Paxton and his family after he came under federal investigation, the Wall Street Journal revealed. Purchased from July 2021 to April 2022, the properties include residences in Oklahoma, Hawaii, Utah, and Florida. The reason for the investigators’ suspicion is the large amount spent, all with Paxton’s salary of $153,750 a year, in addition to his wife’s $7,200 as a state senator.
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Paxton’s attorneys deny any wrongdoing, saying that he only tapped into his long-term savings.
“General Paxton decided to direct much of his long-term savings from a brokerage account to real estate,” Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing him in the impeachment trial, said. “He did so at a time with low interest rates, believing it was a better long-term investment to provide for his family. There is nothing more to it than that.”
Paxton’s impeachment currently is unrelated to his private wealth; the attorney general is being impeached over accusations of bribery, obstruction of justice, and misappropriation of public resources. Most of these are centered on whistleblower accusations of misconduct in an investigation into a friend and political donor of Paxton’s.
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The evidence presented to the Texas House was seen by 121 state representatives, nearly half of whom were Republicans, as sufficient to impeach Paxton. His trial will be held in the state Senate.
However, if investigators suspect wrongdoing around the purchase of his residences, charges could be added. The new discoveries could also be added as evidence to support the bribing charges.