Saturday, Sept. 16
12:50 p.m.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted Saturday of all charges at a historic impeachment trial.
Angela Paxton was not allowed to vote. But she attended all two weeks of the trial, including the reading of the verdict, when all but two of her fellow 18 Republican senators consistently voted to acquit her husband on 16 impeachment articles that accused him of misconduct, bribery and corruption.
Ken Paxton, who was absent for most of the proceedings, did not attend the verdict. It clears the way for Paxton to reclaim his role as Texas’ top lawyer, more than three months after his stunning impeachment in the Texas House forced him to temporarily step aside.
The outcome far from ends Paxton’s troubles. He still faces trial on felony securities fraud charges, remains under a separate FBI investigation and is in jeopardy of losing his ability to practice law in Texas because of his baseless attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
12:15 p.m.
The Texas Senate began delivering a verdict Saturday over whether Attorney General Ken Paxton should be removed from office over corruption charges that have shadowed the Republican for years.
The early votes went Paxton’s way, with the GOP-controlled Senate acquitting him on the first nine of 16 total articles of impeachment. Many of the votes fell mostly along party lines, with only two Republican senators voting to convict Paxton on some of the charges.
Paxton was not in the Senate chamber for what was the conclusion of Texas’ first impeachment trial in nearly a half-century. Paxton also did not attend the majority of the two-week trial.
The jury of 30 senators spent about eight hours deliberating behind closed doors before emerging for the historic vote. A two-thirds majority is required to convict Paxton on any of the charges that accuse Paxton of bribery, corruption and unfitness for office.
The Texas Senate on Saturday ended deliberations over whether Attorney General Ken Paxton should be removed from office, putting the Republican’s historic impeachment trial on the brink of a verdict.
The jury of 30 senators, most of whom are Republicans, spent about eight hours deliberating behind closed doors. A two-thirds majority is required to convict Paxton on any of 16 articles of impeachment that accuse Paxton of bribery, corruption and unfitness for office.
About 50 members of the public took seats in the gallery as the Senate chamber reopened for the vote shortly after 11 a.m. Among those who staked out an early seat for the impeachment vote were three of Paxton’s former deputies who reported him to the FBI in 2020 and were key witnesses during the trial for House impeachment managers.
The vote could be a slow, public process. Each article of impeachment gets a separate vote. Republicans hold a 19-12 majority in the Senate, meaning that if all Democrats vote to convict Paxton, they would need nine Republicans to join them.
Deliberations started Friday, and the talks dragging out for more than a day behind closed doors fed a rare lack of assurance about how a vote might go in the Texas Capitol, where a dominant Republican majority typically means that outcomes are seldom in doubt.
ARTICLE 1: DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY – Paxton’s protection of charitable foundation
ACQUITTED
14YEA, 16 NAY
ARTICLE 2: DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY – Abuse of the opinion process by writing favorable opinion of Paul
ACQUITTED
14 YEA, 16 NAY
ARTICLE 3: DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY – Abuse of the open records process
ACQUITTED
14 YEA, 16 NAY
ARTICLE 4: DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY – Misuse of official information to benefit Paul
ACQUITTED
2 YEA, 28 NAY
ARTICLE 5: DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY – Paxton’s hiring of Cammack
ACQUITTED
13 YEA, 17 NAY
ARTICLE 6: DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY – Paxton’s firing of whistleblowers
ACQUITTED
14 YEA, 16 NAY
ARTICLE 7: MISAPPLICATION OF PUBLIC RESOURCES – Paxton’s creation of whistleblower investigation and report
ACQUITTED
14 YEA, 16 NAY
ARTICLE 8: DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY – Settlement agreement asking for $3.3 million
ACQUITTED
8 YEA, 22 NAY
ARTICLE 9: CONSTITUTIONAL BRIBERY – Paul’s employment of a woman with whom Paxton was known to be having an affair
ACQUITTED
12 YEAS, 18 NAYS
ARTICLE 10: CONSTITUTIONAL BRIBERY – Paul’s providing of renovations to the Paxton home
ACQUITTED
14 YEAS, 16 NAYS
ARTICLE 15: FALSE STATEMENT IN OFFICIAL RECORDS – Paxton’s signing of internal report clearing himself of whistleblower’s allegations
ACQUITTED
14 YEAS, 16 NAYS
ARTICLE 16: CONSPIRACY AND ATTEMPTED CONSPIRACY – Paxton’s acting with others to commit crimes outlined in articles
ACQUITTED
14 YEAS, 16 NAYS
ARTICLE 17: MISAPPROPRIATION OF PUBLIC RESOURCES – Paxton’s hiring of Cammack and assignment of AG employees to benefit Paul
ACQUITTED
14 YEAS, 16 NAYS
ARTICLE 18: DERELICTION OF DUTY – Paxton’s violation of U.S. Constitution and oath of office in act against public interest
ACQUITTED
14 YEAS, 16 NAYS
ARTICLE 19: UNFITNESS FOR OFFICE – Paxton’s engagement in private and public misconduct
ACQUITTED
14 YEAS, 16 NAYS
ARTICLE 20: ABUSE OF PUBLIC TRUST – Paxton’s bringing of his office into “scandal and disrepute”
ACQUITTED
14 YEAS, 16 NAYS
9:45 a.m.
After failing to reach a verdict on Friday, senators returned to the capitol Saturday morning. They were ordered by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to start deliberating at 9 a.m. and were set to start voting on articles of impeachment at 10:30 a.m. Officials later came back and said the vote start would be delayed until 11:10 a.m.
Patrick told them to stay until 8 p.m. to work on their decision. Once a verdict is reached, a half hour warning will be given to the media and public.
Senators will vote on all 16 articles of impeachment and deliberate in private, but will vote in public.
All it takes is for one conviction for Paxton to be removed from office. If that happens, senators will vote once more to determine if he’ll ever be allowed to run for office again.
Friday, Sept. 15
7:40 p.m.
The 30 Texas state senators deciding the fate of Attorney General Ken Paxton spent roughly seven hours of deliberations before calling it a night.
Sources told ABC13’s Nick Natario that some senators departed from the Texas Capitol at about 7:30 p.m.
Their due to return at 9 a.m. Saturday to start deliberations back up.
9:45 a.m.
After failing to reach a verdict on Friday, senators returned to the capitol Saturday morning. They were ordered by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to start deliberating at 9 a.m. and were set to start voting on articles of impeachment at 10:30 a.m. Officials later came back and said the vote start would be delayed until 11:10 a.m.
Patrick told them to stay until 8 p.m. to work on their decision. Once a verdict is reached, a half hour warning will be given to the media and public.
Senators will vote on all 16 articles of impeachment and deliberate in private, but will vote in public.
All it takes is for one conviction for Paxton to be removed from office. If that happens, senators will vote once more to determine if he’ll ever be allowed to run for office again.
Friday, Sept. 15
7:40 p.m.
The 30 Texas state senators deciding the fate of Attorney General Ken Paxton spent roughly seven hours of deliberations before calling it a night.
Sources told ABC13’s Nick Natario that some senators departed from the Texas Capitol at about 7:30 p.m.
Their due to return at 9 a.m. Saturday to start deliberations back up.