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Rep. Metcalf statement on impeachment of Attorney General

On Saturday, May 27th, the Texas House overwhelmingly voted to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton by a vote of 121-23 with over 70% of the Republican Caucus voting in favor of impeachment.
How did we get to this point?
In March of 2023, General Paxton and his agency asked that the Legislature appropriate $3.3 million of your tax dollars so that he could settle a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by whistleblowers in his own office. This settlement was made in February 2023, and just one month later, General Paxton made this demand of the Legislature without providing sufficient information to support such a request. Due to the nature of the allegations brought by the whistleblowers, the lack of information from the agency on the request, and the size of the settlement, the Texas House General Investigating Committee, made up of three Republicans and two Democrats, initiated an investigation to determine if the payment of public dollars was warranted. As fiscally conservative legislators, it would be imprudent to blindly hand over millions of dollars to whoever asks for it. The committee, along with a team of highly respected and experienced attorneys and investigators, has been working since March to get those questions answered.
On May 24th, the committee experts presented their findings on what was uncovered during the months-long investigation. I encourage everyone to view the video or read the transcript of the hearing. You can find these at www.house.texas.gov/committees/committee/?committee=C280. I found the methodical testimony and detailed findings presented by the experts to be highly alarming. There are brazen and credible discoveries involving bribery, conspiracy, abuse of office, misappropriation of public resources and obstruction of justice, just to name a few. As the top law enforcement official in our state, the office of the Attorney General must be held to the highest standard. The findings of the committee are deeply troubling, and are available for anyone to view online.
The Committee’s evidence indicates Ken Paxton has engaged in bribery by providing legal favors and specialized access to a friend and political donor in exchange for renovations to Paxton’s home. Evidence shows that the Attorney General routinely directed employees to reverse legal conclusions, act contrary to law, and abandon legal precedent when it could benefit himself or his donor friend. Evidence indicates that he abused the power of his office to obtain private DPS and FBI files related to the investigation of his friend and donor, and suggests the information was improperly disclosed such that the individual had the details of law enforcement’s case against him. Ultimately, the evidence portrays that the Attorney General fired and took adverse action against employees who blew the whistle on this type of conduct.
Overall, there are 20 articles of impeachment against the Attorney General. These articles are disregard of official duty, misapplication of public resources, constitutional bribery, obstruction of justice, false statements in official business records, false statements in official records, conspiracy and attempted conspiracy, misappropriation of public resources, dereliction of duty, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust.
While I am distressed at the committee’s findings and accusations involving the Attorney General, I want to make clear that he has not yet been convicted of these allegations. Our state’s constitution reserves that power to the Senate. As a legislator, I took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, to the best of my ability, so help me God. Due to the severity and credibility of the committee’s findings that crimes have been committed by the state’s chief law enforcement officer, I voted to impeach General Paxton so that the Senate can conduct a full trial to determine if he is fit to continue serving as the state’s top law enforcement officer.
As members of the Texas House of Representatives, our vote to impeach works in a way very similar to a grand jury. The House decides only if there is sufficient evidence to justify further legal proceedings. The power is granted to the House to “impeach”, and the Senate to try “impeachment”. The House was presented with a set of facts, and those facts ultimately warranted impeachment so that this matter could be referred to the Senate for a full trial. The Attorney General requested that taxpayers fund his settlement suit of $3.3 million dollars, and after a deeper look at the facts surrounding the case, the Texas House has made it clear that this type of behavior will not be tolerated by a state official. I am confident that this was the right thing to do for Texas to ensure public trust remains in the Office of the Attorney General. The Texas Senate is now tasked with considering the 20 articles of impeachment in a public trial.
I hope this summary provides you with clear reasoning as to why I voted in favor of impeachment in this matter. I did not come to this decision lightly, and I am confident that the Texas Senate will consider all the facts and impartially deliberate these matters to reach a conclusion.
May God bless you, your family and the great state of Texas.
Will Metcalf State Representative House District 16

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