Ken Paxton impeachment trial reportedly cost more than $4M
AUSTIN, Texas - The recent impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton reportedly cost more than $4 million.
The $4.3 million cost was not limited only to the impeachment vote in the Texas House and the trial in the State Senate. The cost, according to Dallas Morning News political reporter Philip Jankowski, included the lead-up investigations into Paxton.
"Just the sheer volume of the work was really the most sort of eye-popping thing that out of there that I saw," said Jankowski.
The multi-million dollar expenditure was a top headline in the Dallas Morning News. Jankowski's story included a picture of Houston attorney Rusty Hardin, who was hired by House Impeachment managers.
"And really Rusty Hardin kind of unleashed nearly the full bore of his law firm on this. I mean, more than 7500 hours of work dedicated towards this," said Jankowski.
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House impeachment co-counsel Dick DeGuerin, who spoke to FOX 7 Austin by phone Thursday, defended their work and sent the following statement.
"Every penny spent on legal fees and expenses was earned, and then some. It was important to expose Paxton with the irrefutable evidence of his wrongdoing. The Republican senators who voted against impeachment did so because Paxton’s financial backers threatened and coupled them, in spite of the evidence. It was a verdict based on fear and self-preservation, not principle. Was it worth it? Hell yes!"
The impeachment price tag didn't surprise political analyst Brain Smith with St. Edward's University.
"We knew it was going to be expensive because the state wasn't using pro bono public defenders, but a legal dream team. And even though the dream team was billing less per hour than their usual fees, they were not free. This is topflight lawyers. These are Cadillac lawyers, not Chevy lawyers. And they're going to cost a lot of money," said Smith.
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The Paxton campaign issued a statement Thursday about the cost.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. Whether it’s the House costs, Senate costs, or the overall impeachment session costs, many millions more were incurred on Dade Phelan’s sham and needless impeachment. Further, Dade, Burrows, and the liberal Republican House leaders have proved they excel at spending what some believe could be $25 million in taxpayer dollars for multiple special sessions that have resulted in the House FAILING to produce results. All of this is due to Dade’s ineffective leadership and unwillingness to govern like a conservative. Voters need to send Dade and any Representative supporting Dade home in the upcoming primaries. We need effective leadership in the House that quits embarrassing Texas and is focused on making Texas a beacon of freedom, enterprise, and opportunity."
"I think it's a great talking point for the primary because this is going to be Republican against Republican," said Smith.
Using the impeachment cost as a GOP political vendetta campaign could also cause more problems for Paxton.
"Paxton's got to tread very lightly here, because if he pushes this issue too much, it can boomerang on him. They're going to say, Okay, well, how much are you actually spending on all your other trials? And I'm sure that's a lot more than 4.3 million. The other thing he's got to worry about is saying this is a big deal and then reminding everybody what was the original cause. And then we're going to start hearing about Nate Paul and mistresses and Uber rides and coincidences in Austin," said Smith.
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Jankowski told FOX 7 Austin there are a few outstanding receipts he is still waiting on, but he does not expect the $4.3 million price tag to get much larger.
It's also worth noting his calculation includes the $221 daily payments to the state senators, along with their food and travel. All that, he said, totaled more than $70,000.
Jankowski also included $50,000 in legal expenses that were part of the legal challenge to the gag order issued by Lt. Gov Dan Patrick.