Following moves in the Texas House to move forward with what some are calling an “illegal impeachment” against Attorney General Ken Paxton, the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas is blasting the chamber for its liberal leadership.
“Speaker Dade Phelan and his leadership team have appointed Democrats to high ranking leadership positions, attacked the Republican Party of Texas, battled our conservative Lieutenant Governor, and killed Governor Abbott’s top priorities,” said Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi. “The impeachment proceedings against the Attorney General are but the latest front in the Texas House’s war against Republicans to stop the conservative direction of our state.”
This sham impeachment is the result of the Phelan leadership team empowering Democrats, allowing them to hold leadership positions and letting them control the agenda. It is based on allegations already litigated by voters, led by a liberal Speaker trying to undermine his conservative adversaries, and investigated bylawyers connected to a Democrat on the House General Investigations Committee. The voters have supported General Paxton through three elections-and his popularity has only grown despite millions of dollars spent to try to defeat him. Now the Texas House is trying to overturn the election results.
The statement comes after the House General Investigating Committee referred 20 charges of impeachment against Paxton, who just earlier this week called on House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign due to apparent intoxication on the job.
Impeachment requires a majority vote in the House of Representatives. Should the House impeach Paxton, the issue would be sent to the Senate for a trial where he would be required to be convicted by two-thirds of the senators in order to be removed from office.
Rinaldi says it will be up to the Senate to stand against the impeachment.
“It seems Texas Republicans will have to rely yet again on the principled leadership of the Texas Senate to restore sanity and reason for our state,” said Rinaldi.
