After beginning deliberation yesterday, the Texas Senate voted on Saturday to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton on all impeachment charges.
While 21 votes, or two-thirds, were required to convict and remove Paxton from office on any single charge, none received a majority vote.
The only Republicans to join Democrats in voting for most of the impeachment charges were State Sen. Kelly Hancock (North Richland Hills) and Robert Nichols (Jacksonville).
The vote was a stark difference to the House’s impeachment vote in May, which passed 121-23, on 20 charges of misapplication of public resources, bribery, obstruction of justice, abuse of public trust, and disregard of official duties.
State Reps. Andrew Murr (R–Junction), Charlie Geren (R–Fort Worth), Jeff Leach (R–Plano), Morgan Meyer (R–Dallas), Briscoe Cain (R–Deer Park), Cody Vasut (R–Angleton), and David Spiller (R–Jacksboro) were the Republicans on the House Board of Managers who pushed for impeachment in the Senate.
Paxton had been temporarily suspended from office since the House’s impeachment vote in May.
In response, Paxton celebrated the Senate’s ruling:
Today, the truth prevailed. The truth could not be buried by mudslinging politicians or their powerful benefactors. I’ve said many times: Seek the truth!
And that is what was accomplished.
I thank the 4.2 million Texans who voted for me last year. I will always be grateful for your support, and I will continue to honor your vote by defending the rule of law and our constitutional rights. I’m also grateful for the state senators who followed the law and refused to overturn an election. I also thank my legal team for exposing the absurdity of these false allegations.
Most importantly, I want to thank my amazing wife Angela, who I love dearly. She is a brave woman of deep faith, unquestionable integrity, and the light of our entire family.
The sham impeachment coordinated by the Biden Administration with liberal House Speaker Dade Phelan and his kangaroo court has cost taxpayers millions of dollars, disrupted the work of the Office of Attorney General and left a dark and permanent stain on the Texas House.
Matt Rinaldi, the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, also released a statement welcoming Paxton back into office:
Today, after a trial in which the House could muster no evidence of a crime, the Texas Senate overwhelmingly voted to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton of all counts. Speaker Dade Phelan and his leadership team should be embarrassed for putting Texas through the time and expense of this political sham of an impeachment. We invite the House Republican Caucus to choose leadership moving forward who will unify a Republican governing coalition behind our common goals, instead of sharing power with Democrats who use it to persecute our Republican statewide office holders. We welcome Ken Paxton back to the Attorney General’s Office and anticipate many more conservative victories defending Texas and preserving the America we love for our children and grandchildren.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who had been silent on the impeachment, said Paxton had done an “outstanding job representing Texas.”
“I look forward to continuing to work with him to secure the border and protect Texas from federal overreach,” he added.
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