Trump friend Joe Paxton temporarily removed from office as Attorney General

Texas Attorney General
Love corruption and abuse of power: Trump friend Paxton temporarily removed from office

Texas Attorney General Joe Paxton has been suspended from office.

©Eric Gay/AP/DPA

In the United States, the Attorney General is also the Attorney General and is elected by the people. He can also be removed from office accordingly. Like Joe Paxton from Texas now. Donald Trump’s supporter has stumbled across a web of corruption.

Republican Attorney General and Attorney General of Texas Joe Paxton, a fervent supporter of ex-President Donald Trump, has been suspended from office by the US state legislature over corruption allegations. The House of Representatives, dominated by Paxton’s own party, voted in favor of impeachment with a clear majority. The Texas Senate will now decide whether the 60-year-old will be permanently removed from office.

Rare impeachment in Texas

In Texas history, the Attorney General is only the third senior representative to face impeachment in the Senate. As in many other US states, the Attorney General, who is also the Attorney General, is directly elected by the people.

According to the indictment, Paxton pressured his associates to protect a friend and financier from prosecution. In return, the financier of an extramarital affair for the attorney general allegedly secured a job and paid for work on Paxton’s home, the documents show.

It was initially unclear when the majority Republican Senate would put Paxton on trial. “The evidence is considerable. It’s alarming,” said Conservative MP Andrew Murr. However, the suspended Texas chief prosecutor was adamant: “What we have just seen is illegal, unethical and deeply unjust,” Paxton said on Twitter.

Sued Joe Biden 50 times

Most recently, he pointed out that his office had sued US President Joe Biden’s administration almost 50 times to reverse migration, tax and environmental policies. He was appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice in 2014. In 2015, he was charged by the judiciary with financial fraud. Although the process is ongoing, he was confirmed in office in 2018 and 2022.

In 2020, members of Paxton’s team alerted their boss to his alleged abuse of power. They were fired and later appealed against their dismissal. Earlier this year, Paxton settled the lawsuit by paying $3.3 million. The fact that he asked the state of Texas to settle the bill finally triggered the impeachment procedure.

On his own online platform Truth Social, Donald Trump described those who would have voted for Paxton’s impeachment as “radical left-wing Democrats” and so-called RINOs – translated: Republicans in name only.

Outcome of voting open

A two-thirds majority is required for permanent removal from office. The outcome of the process is open. However, support for the 60-year-old within his Republican party had recently shrunk. Even Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — also a Trump supporter — declined to back him before the vote.

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