Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pleads not guilty to all 16 articles of impeachment
Anna Giaritelli
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AUSTIN, Texas — Impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton pleaded not guilty to all 16 articles of impeachment after the GOP-controlled Senate refused to dismiss the charges.
The third-term Republican politician’s lawyers, at times, emphatically defended Paxton in each of the 16 instances that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asked the defense team to enter a plea.
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“Everything … said there was false. Therefore, Attorney General Ken Paxton pleads not guilty,” said attorney Tony Buzbee, one of the two attorneys who stood by Paxton when responding to the charges read before the Senate.
Halfway through the plea process, a House manager asked Patrick to bar Paxton’s lawyers from any additional comment between entering a one-word or two-word plea.
“He can enter a plea of not guilty for his client. He can’t make speeches as he’s doing,” a House manager said.
Paxton faces a total of 16 charges of the 20 that the House had filed against him in May. The Senate panel opted to take up 16 of the charges.
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The 31-member Senate is comprised of 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Two-thirds of the Senate — 21 members — must vote in the affirmative to convict Paxton.
Paxton’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, is not allowed to vote during the trial, bringing Republicans’ total voting members down to 18.