AUSTIN, Texas — Vindicated Attorney General Ken Paxton lambasted the Biden administration and the Texas House for forcing a "sham impeachment" trial following his acquittal on all 16 counts.
"Today, the truth prevailed. The truth could not be buried by mudslinging politicians or their powerful benefactors. I’ve said many times: Seek the truth! And that is what was accomplished," Paxton said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Paxton, a third-term Republican politician, targeted his political enemies, including those in Washington. Texas has sued the Biden White House more times than any other state, but on Saturday afternoon, the upset attorney general vowed to take his legal fights against the federal government up a notch.
"The sham impeachment coordinated by the Biden administration with liberal House Speaker Dade Phelan and his kangaroo court has cost taxpayers millions of dollars, disrupted the work of the Office of the Attorney General, and left a dark and permanent stain on the Texas House," Paxton said. "The weaponization of the impeachment process to settle political differences is not only wrong, it is immoral and corrupt."
Paxton did not explain why he believes the federal government targeted him. However, he was indicted by the FBI during the Obama administration in 2015 on securities fraud and has yet to go to trial.
Throughout the trial, witnesses who had worked under the attorney general testified that Paxton had talked at times about his distrust of law enforcement and federal agents in the FBI in particular.
"I can promise the Biden administration the following: Buckle up because your lawless politics will not go unchallenged," Paxton said. "We will not allow you to shred the constitution and infringe on the rights of Texans. You will be held accountable."
Paxton thanked the Texas voters who backed him in the 2022 election and said he is especially grateful to his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton.
A component of the trial had focused on Paxton's alleged extramarital affair with a woman named Laura Olson. Paxton reiterated his love and appreciation for his wife.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX), who presided over the trial and said he was careful to remain impartial despite being a friend to Paxton, said the House rushed into the investigation and that the matter should never have been able to make it to the Senate in the first place.
In Paxton's case, the House did not put witnesses under oath, did not allow the defendant to cross-examine them, and gave lawmakers a matter of hours to review impeachment articles — breaking precedent for normal procedures for impeachment.
"In the next regular session, we should amend the Constitution on the issue of impeachment as currently written that allowed this flawed process to happen," Patrick said after the votes concluded. "This is not a partisan issue. We owe it to future legislators to make these changes so that no future official impeached by the House, whether Republican, Democrat, or independent, is subject to the way this impeachment process occurred in the House."
Patrick also vowed to begin an audit of the "millions of taxpayers dollars spent on the impeachment."
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who has served alongside Paxton since early 2021, celebrated the trial's conclusion and said that he anticipates Paxton returning to work quickly.
"The jury has spoken. Attorney General Paxton received a fair trial as required by the Texas Constitution. Attorney General Paxton has done an outstanding job representing Texas, especially pushing back against the Biden administration," Abbott said in a statement Saturday afternoon. "I look forward to continuing to work with him to secure the border and protect Texas from federal overreach."
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Former President Donald Trump's America First Legal group congratulated Paxton on his exoneration.
“Ken is the nation’s indispensable attorney general and the most relentless legal foe of the Biden administration’s lawlessness," said AFL President Stephen Miller, a former senior White House adviser. "We are honored to partner with him and his office on so many vital cases and cannot wait to continue joining forces in defense of Texas, America, and all we hold dear as citizens."