Paxton used his position as the Attorney General of Texas to benefit his associate, Nate Paul. Paxton used his power to interfere with the FBI’s investigation of Paul. Paxton’s employees accused him of improper influence, abuse of office, and bribery. Paxton then fired his accusers, which violated the Texas Whistleblower Act. Subsequently, the Texas House of Representatives impeached Ken Paxton for his various violations.
Paxton Was Accused And Investigated By The FBI For Bribery And Abuse Of Office. According to the Associated Press, “The FBI is investigating allegations that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton broke the law in using his office to benefit a wealthy donor, according to two people with knowledge of the probe. Federal agents are looking into claims by former members of Paxton’s staff that the high-profile Republican committed bribery, abuse of office and other crimes to help Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, the people told The Associated Press. They insisted on anonymity to discuss the investigation because it is ongoing. Confirmation of the criminal probe marks mounting legal peril for Paxton, who’s denied wrongdoing and refused calls for his resignation since his top deputies reported him to federal authorities at the end of September.” [Associated Press, 11/17/20]
Paxton Was Accused Of Using The AG Office To Benefit Real Estate Developer Nate Paul. According to the Associated Press, “Paxton is accused of using his position as Texas’ top law enforcement official to benefit Paul in several ways, according to seven senior lawyers in the attorney general’s office and the agency’s head of law enforcement. Central to their claims is the fact that Paxton hired an outside lawyer to investigate the developer’s allegations that the FBI improperly searched his home and offices last year. Each of Paxton’s accusers has resigned, been put on leave or been fired since reporting him. Last week, four of them filed a state whistleblower lawsuit against the attorney general, claiming he ousted them as retribution. The full nature of Paxton and Paul’s connection remains unclear. In 2018, Paul donated $25,000 to the attorney general’s reelection campaign. The developer also said in a recent deposition that Paxton recommended a woman for her job with his company.” [Associated Press, 11/17/20]
Paxton Faced Allegations That He Used His Office To Impede The FBI’s Investigation Into Paul. According to the Associated Press, “When Texas’ attorney general needed someone to probe a claim by one of his wealthy political donors alleging crimes by the FBI, he turned to a junior Houston lawyer with no prosecutorial experience, a modest criminal defense practice and ties to the donor’s defense attorney. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said his own staff had been working to ‘impede the investigation’ into real estate developer Nate Paul’s allegations against federal law enforcement. He explained that’s why he brought in an ‘outside independent prosecutor’ to look into the case. The move led Paxton’s top deputies last week to accuse him of bribery and abuse of office. It’s unclear what underlies these allegations, and what would have recommended Brandon Cammack to handle the fraught investigation. Paxton’s choice of outside counsel raises further questions about a decision that has deepened political, and possibly legal, trouble for the attorney general. Paxton rose to national prominence during his time in office but also has spent most of it maintaining his innocence in the face of a felony indictment.” [Associated Press, 10/8/20]
Paxton’s Top Aides Accused Him Of Improper Influence, Abuse Of Office, And Bribery. According to the Austin American-Statesman, “Top aides of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have asked federal law enforcement authorities to investigate allegations of improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other potential crimes against the state’s top lawyer. In a one-page letter to the state agency’s director of human resources, obtained Saturday by the American-Statesman and KVUE-TV, seven executives in the upper tiers of the office said that they are seeking the investigation into Paxton ‘in his official capacity as the current Attorney General of Texas.’ The Thursday letter said that each ‘has knowledge of facts relevant to these potential offenses and has provided statements concerning those facts to the appropriate law enforcement.’[...] Their decisions to report possible illegal activity involving their employer represents a stunning development in an agency that prizes loyalty, particularly from within Paxton’s inner circle. It places a renewed spotlight on Paxton, who is already under indictment for alleged securities fraud. The complaint concluded by saying that they notified Paxton in a text message Thursday that they had reported the alleged violations to law enforcement. The whistle blowers, who notified human resources to protect their jobs, offered no other details about the allegations and do not describe what they believe Paxton did that was illegal. Efforts to reach them were unsuccessful Saturday.” [Austin American-Statesman, 10/3/20]
Paxton Fired His Former Employees Who Reported Him To The FBI; They Sued Back, Claiming Paxton Violated The Texas Whistleblower Act. According to the Barbed Wire, “After reporting Paxton to the FBI in 2020, at least four of the attorneys who worked in his office were fired, and promptly sued the attorney general for violating the Texas Whistleblower Act, which prohibits employers from taking action against public employees who report violations of the law. “ [Barbed Wire, 2/17/26]
Paxton And His Former Employees Agreed On A $3.3 Million Settlement. According to the Texas Tribune, “Attorney General Ken Paxton and four of his former top deputies who said he improperly fired them after they accused him of crimes have reached a tentative agreement to end a whistleblower lawsuit that would pay those employees $3.3 million. In a filing Friday, attorneys for Paxton and the whistleblowers asked the Texas Supreme Court to further defer consideration of the whistleblower case until the two sides can finalize the tentative agreement. Once the deal is finalized and payment by the attorney general’s office is approved, the two sides will move to end the case, the filing said. The agreement would bring an end to the lawsuit over the firing of the staffers, but would not end Paxton’s legal troubles. The allegations by the former aides of bribery and abuse of office prompted an FBI investigation, though no charges have been filed and Paxton has denied wrongdoing. Separately, Paxton remains under felony indictment on state charges of securities fraud.” [Texas Tribune, 2/10/23]
Lawmakers Felt Uneasy About The Potential Use Of Taxpayer Dollars To Pay For Paxton’s Whistleblower Settlement. According to the Texas Tribune, “The payment for the settlement would come out of state funds and has to be approved by the Legislature. After the tentative agreement was made public, state Rep. Jeff Leach, the Republican from Plano who oversees the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, said he was ‘troubled that hardworking taxpayers might be on the hook for this settlement between the Attorney General and former employees of his office.’ ‘I’ve spoken with the Attorney General directly this morning and communicated in no uncertain terms that, on behalf of our constituents, legislators will have questions and legislators will expect answers,’ Leach said in a statement to The Texas Tribune.”[Texas Tribune, 2/10/23]
A Travis County Judge Awarded $6.6 Million to Paxton’s Former Aides Who Claimed They Were Improperly Fired. According to the Texas Tribune, “A Travis County district court judge on Friday awarded $6.6 million to four former senior aides to Attorney General Ken Paxton who said they were improperly fired after reporting Paxton to the FBI. Judge Catherine Mauzy stated in her judgment that the plaintiffs — Blake Brickman, Mark Penley, David Maxwell and Ryan Vassar — had proven by a “preponderance of the evidence” that Paxton’s office had violated the Texas Whistleblower Act. Each of the four were awarded between $1.1 and $2.1 million for wages lost, compensation for emotional pain, attorney’s fees and various other costs as a result of the trial. The judgment also said Paxton’s office did not dispute any issue of fact in the case, which stopped the Attorney General’s office from further contesting their liability. Tom Nesbitt, the attorney for Brickman and Maxwell, said in a statement that Paxton “admitted” to breaking the law to avoid being questioned under oath. ‘It should shock all Texans that their chief law enforcement officer, Ken Paxton, admitted to violating the law, but that is exactly what happened in this case,’ Nesbitt said in the statement.” [Texas Tribune, 4/4/25]
Paxton Claimed The Ruling Was “Rediculous.” According to the Texas Tribune, “In a statement to the Tribune from his office, Paxton called the ruling a ridiculous judgment that is not based on the facts or the law' and pointed blame at former Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, who led the Texas House effort to impeach him in 2023. ‘We will appeal this bogus ruling as we continue to clean up Dade Phelan’s mess,’ Paxton said in the statement.” [Texas Tribune, 4/4/25]
Paxton Was Impeached By The Texas House Due To His Bribery Case And Firing Of Whistleblowers. According to the Barbed Wire, “In May 2023, after the mounting FBI investigation and whistleblower lawsuit, the Texas House investigation committee unveiled 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton based on the abuse of office and bribery charges. The investigation centered around Paxton misusing his office to aid with Nate Paul’s legal issues, the Texas Tribune reported. The House voted 121-33 to impeach Paxton, suspending him from office and marking only the third time in history the legislative body has impeached an official.” [Barbed Wire, 2/17/26]
Paxton’s Texas Senate Impeachment Trial Cost Texas Taxpayers $5.1 Million.
According to the Texas Tribune, “After a two-week, high-profile trial, the Texas Senate acquitted Paxton of 16 charges and dismissed the remaining four. That trial cost the state roughly $5.1 million, according to a State Auditor’s Office report released in March that was requested by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.” [Texas Tribune, 4/4/25]