AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was fully acquitted Saturday of corruption charges in a historic impeachment trial, a resounding verdict that reaffirms the power of the GOP's hard right and puts an indicted incumbent who remains under FBI investigation back into office.
The outcome demonstrated Paxton’s enduring durability in America’s biggest red state after years of criminal charges and scandal. And more broadly, it delivered a signature victory for the Texas GOP’s ascendent conservative wing following a trial that gave a rare window into divisions among Republicans nationally heading into 2024.
Accused of misusing his office to protect a campaign contributor, Paxton emerged from Texas' first impeachment trial in nearly a half-century both politically intact and back at a job that has won him conservative admirers across the U.S., including former President Donald Trump.
Paxton did not attend most of the trial and was not in the Senate when the verdict was read.
“Today, the truth prevailed. The truth could not be buried by mudslinging politicians or their powerful benefactors,” he said in a statement. “I’ve said many times: Seek the truth! And that is what was accomplished.”
More than three months after an overwhelming impeachment in the Texas House — where Republicans have a solid majority — Paxton was just as convincingly acquitted by Senate Republicans who serve alongside his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton.
RELATED: Here's how each senator voted on the 16 articles of impeachment for Attorney General Ken Paxton
Angela Paxton was not allowed a vote in the trial. But she attended all two weeks of the proceedings, including one dramatic moment when a woman was called to publicly testify about an affair she had with Ken Paxton. The woman ultimately never took the witness stand, but her relationship with Paxton was central to a case that accused Texas' top lawyer of going to potentially criminal lengths to help a local real estate developer named Nate Paul, who was under FBI investigation at the time.
The voting to acquit Paxton one-by-one on 16 charges of misconduct, bribery and corruption took more than an hour. Needing at least nine GOP senators to cross party lines, impeachment managers never got more than two on any one charge.
Onlookers in the Senate gallery for the verdict included three of Paxton's former deputies who reported him to the FBI in 2020 and testified in the trial. As the acquittals stacked up, one of them left midway through the verdict.
When the voting finally finished, Angela Paxton walked over to the defense table and hugged her husband's lawyers.
Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson described nearly eight hours of deliberations among the 30 senators as a hard and seemingly sincere process. “And then it collapsed,” he said.
Johnson said it eventually became clear there would not be enough votes to convict and that it may have led some senators to change their minds.
“When enough people fall away from conviction, it exposes any remaining Republican to very strong attack from the right,” Johnson said. “We reached the wrong result and it was the result of political pressures.”
Another Democrat, Sen. Royce West, said the deliberations were not combative. “It was fluid," he said.
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.
Eight of Paxton’s former deputies reported him to the FBI in 2020 over his relationship with real estate developer Paul, setting off a federal investigation that remains ongoing. Federal prosecutors investigating Paxton took testimony in August before a grand jury in San Antonio , according to two people with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of secrecy rules around the proceeding.
Paul was indicted in June on charges of making false statements to banks. He has pleaded not guilty. Testimony in the trial included a former Texas Ranger, who said he warned Paxton he was risking indictment in trying to help Paul pursue claims of wrongdoing by federal agents and a judge.
But reelected twice, including last November, Paxton has remained politically resilient despite the legal troubles and dysfunction in his office.
After starting his career in the state legislature as a Tea Party insurgent, Paxton has elevated his national profile by rushing his office into polarizing courtroom battles across the U.S., winning acclaim from Trump and the GOP’s hard right.
Shortly after the verdict, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott welcomed Paxton back to work without reservations.
“Attorney General Paxton has done an outstanding job representing Texas, especially pushing back against the Biden Administration,” Abbott said. "I look forward to continuing to work with him to secure the border and protect Texas from federal overreach.
Daily Paxton trial recaps
- Paxton's lawyers rest their case, and closing arguments are now set: Everything from Day 8 of the impeachment trial
- Paxton impeachment trial: From no-shows to flubs, everything that happened -- and didn't -- in a hectic day of court
- An 'offensive' Starbucks firing and $14K allegedly still owed: Paxton impeachment trial recap of Day 6
- Paxton impeachment trial: Day 5 recap and highlights
- Day 4 recap: What we learned in Ken Paxton's impeachment trial Friday
- Ken Paxton impeachment trial recap: Tense - and sometimes tearful - moments highlighted Day 3
- Ken Paxton impeachment trial recap: Everything we learned on Day 2
- Day 1 is done: Here's everything we learned in the Ken Paxton impeachment trial, so far
The voting to acquit Paxton one-by-one on 16 charges of misconduct, bribery and corruption took more than an hour. Needing at least nine GOP senators to cross party lines, impeachment managers never got more than two on any one charge.
Onlookers in the Senate gallery for the verdict included three of Paxton's former deputies who reported him to the FBI in 2020 and testified in the trial. As the acquittals stacked up, one of them left midway through the verdict.
When the voting finally finished, Angela Paxton walked over to the defense table and hugged her husband's lawyers.
Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson described nearly eight hours of deliberations among the 30 senators as a hard and seemingly sincere process. “And then it collapsed,” he said.
Johnson said it eventually became clear there would not be enough votes to convict and that it may have led some senators to change their minds.
“When enough people fall away from conviction, it exposes any remaining Republican to very strong attack from the right,” Johnson said. “We reached the wrong result and it was the result of political pressures.”
Another Democrat, Sen. Royce West, said the deliberations were not combative. “It was fluid," he said.
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.
Eight of Paxton’s former deputies reported him to the FBI in 2020 over his relationship with real estate developer Paul, setting off a federal investigation that remains ongoing. Federal prosecutors investigating Paxton took testimony in August before a grand jury in San Antonio , according to two people with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of secrecy rules around the proceeding.
Paul was indicted in June on charges of making false statements to banks. He has pleaded not guilty. Testimony in the trial included a former Texas Ranger, who said he warned Paxton he was risking indictment in trying to help Paul pursue claims of wrongdoing by federal agents and a judge.
But reelected twice, including last November, Paxton has remained politically resilient despite the legal troubles and dysfunction in his office.
After starting his career in the state legislature as a Tea Party insurgent, Paxton has elevated his national profile by rushing his office into polarizing courtroom battles across the U.S., winning acclaim from Trump and the GOP’s hard right.
Shortly after the verdict, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott welcomed Paxton back to work without reservations.
“Attorney General Paxton has done an outstanding job representing Texas, especially pushing back against the Biden Administration,” Abbott said. "I look forward to continuing to work with him to secure the border and protect Texas from federal overreach.”
How the Senate voted on each article of impeachment
A 'yea' vote was to convict, a 'nay' vote was to acquit. A detailed explanation of each article can be found further in this article. Articles 11 through 14 were set aside not considered by the Senate in this trial.
- Article 1
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 2
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 3
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 4
- 2 yeas
- 28 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 5
- 13 yeas
- 17 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 6
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 7
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 8
- 8 yeas
- 22 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 9
- 12 yeas
- 18 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 10
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 15
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 16
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 17
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 18
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 19
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
- Article 20
- 14 yeas
- 16 nays
- Result - Acquitted
Here's how each senator voted on each article:
Watch KHOU 11's coverage of the vote as it happened live:
CLOSING ARGUMENTS
Making one final appeal to convict Texas' top lawyer Friday, impeachment managers who included Paxton's former friends cast him as a crook. The time has come, they argued, for the state and the Republican Party to sever ties.
“If we don’t keep public officials from abusing the powers of their office, then frankly no one can,” Republican state Rep. Andrew Murr, who helped lead the impeachment in the Texas House, said in his closing arguments.
If convicted, Paxton would become Texas’ first statewide official convicted on impeachment charges in more than 100 years.
In an angry and defiant rebuttal, Paxton lawyer Tony Buzbee unleashed attacks on a wide-ranging cast of figures both inside and outside the Texas Capitol, mocking a Texas Ranger who warned Paxton he was risking indictment and another accuser who cried on the witness stand.
Leaning into divisions among Republicans, Buzbee portrayed the impeachment as a plot orchestrated by an old guard of GOP rivals. He singled out George P. Bush, the nephew of former President George W. Bush who challenged Paxton in the 2022 Republican primary, punctuating a blistering closing argument that questioned the integrity of FBI agents and railed against Texas’ most famous political dynasty.
“I would suggest to you this is a political witch hunt,” Buzbee said. “I would suggest to you that this trial has displayed, for the country to see, a partisan fight within the Republican Party.”
Paxton, who until Friday had attended only the first few hours of the trial, sat at the defense table and sipped from a cup, occasionally picking up his cellphone.
His return did not go unnoticed.
“He hasn’t even bothered to be here for the whole trial,” Murr said. “Clearly he thinks he might get away with this.”
Sitting across the room from Paxton was his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, who was required to attend the whole trial but is barred from participating in deliberations or voting on her husband's political fate.
In the Senate gallery were three of Paxton's former deputies who reported him to the FBI in the 2020, accusing him of breaking the law to help Austin real estate developer Nate Paul. All of them testified, including the former Texas Ranger, David Maxwell.
Their whistleblower accounts launched an FBI investigation that will continue regardless of the verdict. Federal prosecutors investigating Paxton took testimony in August before a grand jury in San Antonio , according to two people with knowledge of the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because of secrecy rules around the proceeding.
One said the grand jury heard from Drew Wicker, Paxton’s former personal aide. At the impeachment trial, Wicker testified that he once heard a contractor tell Paxton he would need to check with “Nate” about the cost of renovations to the attorney general’s Austin home.
Paul was indicted in June on charges of making false statements to banks to obtain more than $170 million in loans. He has pleaded not guilty.
During closing arguments, the defense told senators there was either no evidence for the charges or that there wasn't enough to rise beyond a reasonable doubt. The House impeachment managers, by contrast, walked through specific documents and played clips of testimony by the deputies who reported Paxton to the FBI.
The last word of closing arguments came from one of Paxton's former friends, Republican state Rep. Jeff Leach, who said he "loved" his onetime political mentor and that they attended church together. Still, he told senators, Paxton deserved punishment.
One of the impeachment articles centers on an alleged extramarital affair Paxton had with Laura Olson, who worked for Paul. It alleges that Paul’s hiring of Olson amounted to a bribe. She was called to the witness stand but ultimately never testified. Another article alleges the developer also bribed Paxton by paying for his home renovations.
The verdict will be decided by 30 of the 31 state senators, most of them Republicans. Convicting Paxton on any of the 16 articles of impeachment requires a two-thirds majority, meaning if all 12 Democrats vote to convict, they would need nine Republicans to join them.
Deliberations will be done privately. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said the trial will continue through the weekend if necessary.
Paxton received renewed support from Trump on Thursday, as the former president blasted the impeachment as “shameful” in a social media post.
For years, Trump has fanned the flames of his supporters’ distrust of the FBI in the face of legal troubles. Buzbee leaned into those misgivings Friday and his words at times appeared aimed at an audience beyond the senators in the room.
“Do we believe that the FBI is always on the up and up?” he said. “Or can we all agree that sometimes they pick and they choose who they go after?”
Like Trump, Paxton faces an array of legal troubles. Besides the federal investigation for the same allegations that gave rise to his impeachment, he also faces a bar disciplinary proceeding over his effort to overturn the 2020 election and has yet to stand trial on state securities fraud charges dating to 2015.
The next hearing on his securities fraud case in Houston is scheduled for October 10.
He pleaded not guilty in the state case, but his lawyers have said removal from office might open the door to a plea agreement.
Below are the articles of impeachment filed against Paxton
DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY
ARTICLE 1 - Protection of charitable organization
Paxton is accused of failing to act as a public protector of charitable organizations by directing his employees in the attorney general's office to intervene in a lawsuit brought by the Roy F. & JoAnn Cole Mitte Foundation against entities controlled by Paul, harming the Austin charity in an effort to benefit the wealthy donor.
ARTICLE 2 - Abuse of the opinion process
Paxton is accused of misusing his official power to issue written legal opinions. He allegedly had employees prepare an opinion that protected some of Paul's properties from being sold in foreclosure. Paxton concealed his actions by asking a Senate committee chairperson to seek that opinion. He's also accused of directing employees to reverse their legal conclusion to help Paul.
ARTICLE 3 - Abuse of the open records process
Paxton is accused of misusing his official power by allegedly interfering with his office's handling of a public records request dealing with the files of a criminal investigation into Paul.
ARTICLE 4 - Misuse of official information
Paxton is accused of misusing his power to administer public information law by improperly obtaining previously undisclosed information held by the attorney general's office to benefit Paul.
DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY
ARTICLE 5 - Engagement of Cammack
Paxton is accused of misusing official powers by hiring attorney Brandon Cammack to investigate a baseless complaint made by Paul. That led to Cammack issuing more than 30 grand jury subpoenas in an effort to help Paul.
ARTICLE 6 - Termination of whistleblowers
Paxton is accused of violating the state's whistleblower law by retaliating against employees who reported his alleged unlawful acts to law enforcement, terminating them without good cause or due process. He's also accused of engaging in a public and private campaign to impugn those employees' professional reputations or prejudice their future employment.
MISAPPLICATION OF PUBLIC RESOURCES
ARTICLE 7 - Whistleblower investigation and report
Paxton is accused of misusing public resources by directing employees to conduct a sham investigation into terminated employees' whistleblower complaints and publish a report containing false or misleading statements in Paxton's defense.
DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTY
ARTICLE 8 - Settlement Agreement
Paxton is accused of misusing his official powers by concealing his wrongful acts in connection with the whistleblower's complaints by entering into a settlement with the whistleblowers that provides for payment from public funds. The settlement halted the wrongful termination suit and delayed the discovery of facts and testimony at trial, to Paxton's advantage. That allegedly prevented voters from making an informed decision about his reelection in 2022.
CONSTITUTIONAL BRIBERY
ARTICLE 9 - Paul's employment of a woman with whom Paxton has acknowledged having an affair
It is alleged that Paxton benefited from Paul's decision to hire the woman. In exchange, Paul allegedly received favorable legal assistance from, or specialized access to, the attorney general's office.
ARTICLE 10 - Paul's providing renovations to Paxton home
It is alleged that in exchange for providing the renovations, Paul received favorable legal assistance from, or specialized access to, the attorney general's office.
ARTICLE 15 - FALSE STATEMENT IN OFFICIAL RECORDS
It is alleged that Paxton made or caused to be made multiple false or misleading statements in the lengthy written report issued by his office in response to whistleblower allegations.
ARTICLE 16 - CONSPIRACY AND ATTEMPTED CONSPIRACY
Paxton is accused of conspiring or attempting to conspire with others to commit acts described in one or more articles.
ARTICLE 17 - MISAPPROPRIATION OF PUBLIC RESOURCES
Paxton is accused of misusing his official powers by causing employees to perform services for his benefit and the benefit of others.
ARTICLE 18 - DERELICTION OF DUTY
Paxton is accused of violating the Texas Constitution, his oaths of office, statutes and public policy against public officials acting contrary to the public interest by engaging in acts described in one or more articles.
ARTICLE 19 - UNFITNESS FOR OFFICE
Paxton is accused of engaging in misconduct, private or public, of such character as to indicate his unfitness for office, as shown by the acts described in one or more articles.
ARTICLE 20 - ABUSE OF PUBLIC TRUST
Paxton is accused of using, misusing or failing to use official powers to subvert the lawful operation of the state government and obstruct the fair and impartial administration of justice, bringing the attorney general's office into scandal and eroding public confidence in state government, as shown by the acts described in one or more articles.
The Senate did not take up these four articles during the impeachment trial:
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
ARTICLE 11 - Abuse of judicial process
Paxton is accused of abusing the process to thwart justice in the securities fraud case against him. It is alleged that Paxton concealed facts from voters with protracted delay of that trial, preventing voters from making an informed decision about his election.
ARTICLE 12 - Abuse of judicial process
It is alleged that Paxton benefited from donor Jeff Blackard's lawsuit that interfered with payment of the prosecutors in Paxton's securities fraud case. That allegedly delayed the case, including discovery of facts and testimony at trial, and deprived voters of a chance to make an informed decision when voting for attorney general.
FALSE STATEMENTS IN OFFICIAL RECORDS
ARTICLE 13 - State Securities Board investigation
Paxton is accused of making false statements to the State Securities Board in connection with its investigation of his failure to register with the board as an investment adviser required by state law.
ARTICLE 14- Personal financial statements
Paxton is accused of failing to fully and accurately disclose financial interests in his financial statements filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.