Grassroots Republicans in Tarrant County condemned the Texas House impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, joining a growing list of local GOP groups denouncing what many see as a politically motivated attack.
In a special emergency meeting Thursday night, Tarrant County Republican Party executive committee members approved a resolution condemning the impeachment as “rushed, not transparent,” and failing to meet the standard of due process followed in past proceedings.
The party’s executive committee is made up of locally elected precinct chairs who represent the Republican voters in their communities; 121 of the county’s 320 precinct chairs co-sponsored the resolution.
The GOP activists also specifically denounced Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and Tarrant County’s Republican state representatives who voted for the impeachment: State Reps. Giovanni Capriglione (Southlake), David Cook (Mansfield), Charlie Geren (Fort Worth), Craig Goldman (Fort Worth), and Stephanie Klick (Fort Worth).
“We are beyond fed up,” Precinct Chair Hollie Plemons, a primary sponsor of the resolution, told Texas Scorecard. “The RINOs have been put on notice: stand up for our conservative values or plan to be primaried out.”
But not every precinct chair who attended Thursday’s 40-minute meeting was on board.
“I was very disappointed in the pushback that we received from our fellow Republicans who don’t want the rules and due process given to AG Paxton, nor did they want to publicly condemn these rogue House representatives,” Plemons said.
“However, the overwhelming majority of TCGOP pushed back and got the resolution passed,” she added.
“Tarrant County Republican Party has shown tonight that when We the People say ENOUGH and work together towards a change, everything is possible!” said Precinct Chair Luli Seri, a primary sponsor of the resolution along with Plemons.
Earlier this week, GOP grassroots in Collin and Parker counties passed similar resolutions. Williamson County Republicans passed a resolution condemning the impeachment in May, just a day after House members voted 121-23 in favor of impeaching Paxton. Sixty of the chamber’s 85 Republicans voted for impeachment.
Paxton is temporarily suspended from office during the course of the impeachment proceedings. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed former Texas Secretary of State John Scott to serve as interim attorney general.
So far, local Republican Party activists have passed resolutions opposing the Paxton impeachment in the following counties: Atascosa, Collin, Comal, Gillespie, Parker, Tarrant, and Williamson.
The list is expected to keep growing as other county parties hold their regular meetings or call special meetings to weigh in on the process before the Senate meets next week to set rules for the impeachment trial, which legislators said will be held by August 28.
The State Republican Executive Committee is also meeting this weekend and is expected to discuss the issue.
“If it wasn’t a huge deal, we would not be getting the pushback we are getting,” Plemons said. “True Republicans MUST get busy and fight back.”
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