AUSTIN, Texas — The wife of embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton spoke for the first time about the near encounter with her husband's mistress during the impeachment trial at the state Capitol.
State Sen. Angela Paxton, a Republican, spoke exclusively with the Washington Examiner outside the Senate chamber Thursday morning about the prosecution's shocking move to bring Laura Olson to the Senate and almost onto the stand in what would have placed the two women face-to-face in public.
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Paxton was spared from the encounter late Wednesday when presiding officer Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) announced that Olson would not take the stand after all.
The defense and prosecution had agreed to the decision after determining that Olson, 50, would likely plead the fifth to every question and was not worth each side's precious time in the final hours of the trial's witness period.
When asked Thursday morning if she felt "relieved" that Olson did not take the stand and would not be forced to answer questions about a romantic affair that the attorney general's staff said occurred in 2018 and 2019, Paxton said it was one of several events of the day that caught her off guard.
"Yesterday, there were a lot of surprises. That was one of them," Paxton told the Washington Examiner.
Olson is a mother of two children and has been divorced four times. She has never publicly spoken about the affair.
Laura Olson (in white dress), Ken Paxton's alleged mistress, was called to testify this morning in Paxton's impeachment trial, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said not enough notice was given. She could testify soon. If she does, you can watch it live here: https://t.co/AnadfQisbO pic.twitter.com/vwK6gxPFLS
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) September 13, 2023
Prosecutors called Olson to the stand Wednesday morning, but Patrick shot it down because she had not been listed on the witness list 24 hours in advance, as is protocol. Under the rules, she would not be allowed to testify until roughly 4 p.m. local time Wednesday.
Olson entered the Capitol and had intended to testify that afternoon until both parties delivered another shock to the jury — they had agreed not to hear from her.
The Texas Tribune reported that the lawyers dropped Olson as a witness because she had planned to plead the Fifth Amendment on the stand, therefore giving no new information to either party.
When questioned again about where Paxton expected the trial to go Thursday, she joked, "Until 7 o'clock," a reference to when Patrick has dismissed the senators most evenings.
The trial is centered on the attorney general's business dealings with Austin real estate developer Nate Paul. Olson, who aides stated had an affair with Mr. Paxton in 2018 and 2019, was given a job by Paul as a favor to the attorney general.
Mr. Paxton's former chief of staff, Katherine "Missy" Minter Cary, testified on Monday that the Paxtons had sat down with senior staff in 2018 and confirmed the attorney general's affair.
Cary testified that Sen. Paxton had called his office on multiple occasions inquiring about his schedule and that staff members felt uncomfortable communicating with her because of what they suspected their boss was engaged in.
"My heart broke for her," Cary said.
Although Mr. Paxton apologized to employees in 2018, Cary alleged that his extramarital affair continued into the following year.
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Lead defense attorney Tony Buzbee pushed back against Cary's testimony and noted that it is not a crime to have an affair.
Mr. Paxton faces 16 articles of impeachment, including unfitness for office and bribery.