(Part 1 of 5)
Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023 marked the beginning of the Texas Senate impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives in May and suspended shortly after from his duties as AG.
There are, in total, 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton. They include seven counts of disregarding his official duties, three counts of making false statements in official records, two counts each of constitutional bribery and obstruction of justice. He’s also accused of misapplying and misappropriating public resources, conspiracy or attempted conspiracy, dereliction of duty, unfitness for office, and abusing the public trust.
Most of the charges center on Ken Paxton’s relationship with an Austin businessman and political donor, Nate Paul.
This podcast is an archive of live coverage of the first day of the trial featuring Texas Standard host David Brown, Texas Standard managing producer Laura Rice, Texas Newsroom political reporter Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, KUT Austin managing editor Ben Philpott and Texas Monthly senior editor Alexandra Samuels.