Testimony in the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton has revealed that one witness who accused Paxton of criminal activity later applied for a job in his office.
Gregg Cox—who formerly worked for the Travis County District Attorney’s Office—testified that, while in that position, he outlined a series of possible crimes that Paxton may have committed, including bribery, abuse of office, and conspiracy. Ultimately, none of those charges were brought against Paxton.
On cross-examination, Tony Buzbee—one of Paxton’s defense lawyers—asked Cox about his allegations.
Tony Buzbee: “You would never engage in any of these so called potential crimes yourself, would you?”
Gregg Cox: “Correct.”
TB: “You would never want to be a part of anything like that, would you?”
GC: “That is correct.”
TB: “You wouldn’t want to be associated with something like that?”
GC: “That is correct.”
TB: “You have dedicated your life, you claim, to the rule of law, right?”
GC: “Correct.”
TB: “And so there is no way no way you would ever want to be associated or affiliated with that kind of criminal conduct. Isn’t that right?”
This line of questioning continued, until Buzbee asked the bombshell question.
“You applied for a job at the AGs office, didn’t you?” Buzbee asked.
“I did,” Cox responded.
“Let’s make sure we let that sink in. You applied for a job after this silly memo you wrote, didn’t you?” Buzbee asked.
“Yes,” Cox confirmed.
“Let it sink in. You wrote this silly memo, where you talked about potential violations of law. And months later, you apply to work at the AGs office, didn’t you?” Buzbee noted.
“That is correct,” Cox once again confirmed.
The moment is just one of many in which Paxton’s defense team has revealed weaknesses in the prosecution’s witnesses. Last week, one whistleblower admitted to having no evidence when reporting Paxton to the FBI. Another said he made claims to House investigators that he did not know the veracity of.
Testimony in Paxton’s impeachment trial is expected to conclude later this week. Senators will then be given opportunity to deliberate before making their decision. The prosecution needs 21 senators, or a two-thirds majority, to remove Paxton from office.
