Reepicheep
Well-known member
Texas AG Ken Paxton first came to my attention in December 2020, when he launched his bizarre lawsuits against Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania because they refused to throw out the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally declare Trump the winner (Biden won all four states by substantial margins). Not surprisingly, the lawsuits were thrown out, and Paxton is currently being sued by the Texas State Bar, which has accused him of misconduct for trying to interfere in the 2020 election.
Independent of this, Paxton was being investigated by the Texas house, with Paxton being accused (among other crimes) of bribery, disregard of official duty, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and abuse of public trust. Last week, the house found him guilty on 20 counts and impeached him, temporarily removing him from office.
The important statistic in the house impeachment trial is that 60 out of 85 Republican house members, or just over 70%, voted for impeachment. Keeping this statistic in mind, let's take a look at the next step in the process: the Senate impeachment trial.
There are 31 Texas senators. One of them is Ken Paxton's wife. Presumably, there is enough common sense in Texas that Angela Paxton will not be allowed to be a jurist for her husband's trial, which leaves exactly 30 senators who will serve as jurors.
A two thirds majority, or 20 senators, must vote for impeachment. The 12 Democrat senators will almost certainly vote for impeachment. This means that 8 out of 18 Republican senators, or roughly 45%, must vote for impeachment for Paxton to be permanently removed from office. The trial, which must be held before the end of August, is going to be an interesting no holds barred free for all, but I'm inclined to think that Paxton will be impeached by a narrow margin.
Independent of this, Paxton was being investigated by the Texas house, with Paxton being accused (among other crimes) of bribery, disregard of official duty, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and abuse of public trust. Last week, the house found him guilty on 20 counts and impeached him, temporarily removing him from office.
The important statistic in the house impeachment trial is that 60 out of 85 Republican house members, or just over 70%, voted for impeachment. Keeping this statistic in mind, let's take a look at the next step in the process: the Senate impeachment trial.
There are 31 Texas senators. One of them is Ken Paxton's wife. Presumably, there is enough common sense in Texas that Angela Paxton will not be allowed to be a jurist for her husband's trial, which leaves exactly 30 senators who will serve as jurors.
A two thirds majority, or 20 senators, must vote for impeachment. The 12 Democrat senators will almost certainly vote for impeachment. This means that 8 out of 18 Republican senators, or roughly 45%, must vote for impeachment for Paxton to be permanently removed from office. The trial, which must be held before the end of August, is going to be an interesting no holds barred free for all, but I'm inclined to think that Paxton will be impeached by a narrow margin.
