Ken Paxton impeachment: Senate sets trial date, rules
AUSTIN, Texas - The impeachment trial for Attorney General Ken Paxton has been set for Sept. 5. His wife, Senator Angela Paxton, will be required to attend the trial, but has been barred from voting.
"This is probably the biggest personnel matter that the State of Texas has ever dealt with in modern history: the impeachment of an attorney general," said Scott Braddock, editor for Quorumreport.com
Ken Paxton is the first Texas Attorney General to be impeached in Texas.
"He's going to stand trial in September, at the beginning of the month, and it's going to be something that's going to be tightly controlled by the senators and the presiding officer," said Braddock.
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When the impeachment trial begins on Sept. 5, Braddock said the senate chambers will seem more like a courtroom with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick serving as the judge.
"They will have a witness stand in there and people get up and give testimony like you would see in a courtroom," he said.
Paxton has been summoned to appear, where he will face the Senate, who will act as jurors.
"Right now, Paxton is suspended. His swipe card doesn't work, and his parking space has been taken away over at the attorney general's office. He hopes to get it back," said Braddock.
After two days of closed-door meetings, rules for the impeachment trial were approved on a vote of 25-3. The three senators who voted no were Austin Senator Sarah Eckhardt, Edgewood Senator Bob Hall, and Paxton's wife Sen. Angela Paxton.
It has been revealed that Sen. Angela Paxton will be barred from voting, the senator releasing a statement on Twitter.
"They had to sort of split the baby on this because the Texas constitution says that all senators, including Senator [Angela] Paxton, have to sit through the trial, so she is going to be present, but she won't be allowed to vote when the senate makes its final decision and when the senate holds its closed doors deliberations during the trial. She won't be able to participate in that," said Braddock.