The Texas House impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton in May 2023 on 20 articles, mostly centered on his relationship with Austin real estate investor Nate Paul, a friend and political donor. In short:
- Abuse of office for Nate Paul's benefit — using his official power to intervene in a charity lawsuit, issue legal opinions helping Paul dodge foreclosures, and misuse open-records processes, allegedly to help Paul.
- Bribery — accepting benefits from Paul (a job for the woman Paxton was allegedly having an affair with, and paid-for home renovations) in exchange for favors.
- Retaliation against whistleblowers — firing/punishing his own staff after they reported his conduct to the FBI.
- Obstruction/abuse of judicial process — including delaying his own 2015 securities-fraud case.
- General "catch-all" counts — dereliction of duty, unfitness for office, and abuse of public trust.
The Senate ultimately took up 16 of the 20 articles, setting aside four tied to the older 2015 securities-fraud case, and in September 2023 acquitted him on all counts.
Here are the 16 articles of impeachment Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing