Texas Attorney General’s Impeachment Trial Begins

The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton began in the Texas Senate Chambers in Austin. The republican attorney general pleaded “not guilty” to charges of corruption and bribery. Unlike a criminal trial, where an accused faces the possibility of incarceration, an impeachment trial simply seeks to remove an elected public servant from office, and to potentially bar them from holding public office in the future. Mr. Paxon is accused of using his office to benefit a large campaign donor, who allegedly paid for his home renovations, and who helped him engage in an extramarital affair. For Mr. Paxton to be removed from office, two-thirds of the Texas Senate would have to vote to convict him on any of the 20 articles of impeachment. The trial is expected to last about one month.