AUSTIN, Texas - May 6, 2022, has been a busy day for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Texas Bar Foundation.
Early in the morning Friday, AG Paxton announced on social media that the state bar was suing him over allegations of misconduct in regard to his lawsuit challenging the 2020 presidential election. A mere hours later, the AG office announced it would be investigating the Texas Bar Foundation for "possibly aiding and abetting the mass influx of illegal aliens."
The AG office claims money donated by the Texas Bar Foundation went to groups that "encourage, participate in, and fund illegal immigration at the Texas-Mexico border."
The Texas Bar Foundation released a response to the investigation announcement soon after, elaborating on the importance of the Foundation's grants, and calling AG Paxton "misinformed."
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Texas Bar Foundation Chair-Elect Alistair Dawson issued the statement, saying in full:
"The Foundation is extremely disappointed to learn that AG Paxton has decided to use taxpayer dollars on a fruitless exercise. Had AG Paxton taken the time to come and speak with us rather than issue a press release, I am confident that he would have found no wrong doing on the part of the Foundation. Nevertheless, the Foundation is happy to cooperate and provide the AG‘s office with documents and information relevant to the investigation. Thousands of Texans have had their lives changed because of grants received from the Texas Bar Foundation. General Paxton is misinformed. The Foundation does not receive funding from taxpayer dollars. To the contrary, our grants are made possible by the generosity of Texas lawyers. We receive voluntary contributions from the fellows of the Foundation, and those contributions enable the Foundation to award millions of dollars in grants. We will probably continue to award grants to much-needed charities throughout Texas going forward."
View the official response here.
The Texas Tribune contributed to this report.