AUSTIN, Texas — Ken Paxton, the three-term Republican attorney general impeached by his own party over the weekend, now faces a treacherous path forward as the Senate moves toward a trial.

The Senate has until August 28 to make its case to permanently bar Paxton from returning to his post as the state's top lawyer — or clear his name.

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Paxton was impeached by the state House last Saturday following the House Committee on General Investigating's unanimous decision to file 20 articles of impeachment.

The Trump-backed GOP lawyer faces a slew of allegations, including bribery, securities fraud, and attempting to interfere in foreclosure lawsuits.

"No one person should be above the law, least not the top law officer of the state of Texas,” said state Rep. David Spiller, a Republican and one of the committee's five members.

The Texas House is controlled by Republicans by an 86 to 64 margin. They mostly abandoned their fellow Republican in a vote of 121-23.

Two-thirds of the Senate's 31 members are required to convict Paxton. One senator, Angela Paxton, may be forced to recuse herself due to a conflict of interest as the defendant's wife.

A defiant Paxton claimed on Tuesday that he was not allowed to put forth evidence defending himself during the impeachment.

“The fact that I was prohibited from presenting evidence to defend myself reveals that this shameful process was curated from the start as an act of political retribution," Paxton said, adding that he had “full confidence” he would be exonerated.

Although Paxton has spoken out, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has stayed quiet and not commented on the impeachment.

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Former President Donald Trump spoke out over the weekend and promised a "fight" against House Republicans who abandoned Paxton, according to a post on social media outlet Truth Social.

Paxton was the third elected official in the state's history to be impeached.