The Times’ May 26 front page photograph of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sitting between Deputy AG for Criminal Justice Josh Reno and First Assistant AG Brent Webster made some Laredoans, especially Mayor Pete Saenz, feel specially honored. Why Pete mentioned “religious freedom” is beyond comprehension, as Paxton’s visit has nothing to do with the supernatural.
The newspaper reported the mayor saying, “The city is always delighted to have someone of his stature from the federal level come to the city…” Paxton is not from “the federal level;” he is an elected state official. Be that as it may, Ken Paxton is the last person we should welcome to Laredo. I fully support the dedication and hard work of our federal, state, county, and municipal law enforcement officers who demonstrate daily to protect our border hometown, but they must know who wields authority or power at the political level of our government.
Data from The Austin American Stateman and The Texas Tribune report show Ken Paxton is a shady, power-grabbing, Trump-supporting state official. A grand jury indicted Paxton on two counts of first-degree felony securities fraud and one count of failing to register with state securities regulators, a third-degree felony. He has avoided trial for five years.
Local law officers should be aware that as far back as April 2014 Paxton paid a $1,000 fine for violating state security law. Knowing this, the McKinney Police Association (Paxton’s hometown) withdrew its endorsement for his AG campaign, stating, “it is necessary to protect the integrity of the AG’s Office”. Paxton was the first state AG to support Donald Trump’s racist anti-Muslim ban. He also supported overturning the Affordable Care Act. In a little sideshow, Ken took an attorney’s $1,000 Mont Blanc pen. He returned it pretending he didn’t realize what it was.
Ken Paxton helped his friend, political donor, and wealthy realtor Nate Paul, by using the AG’s office to benefit the struggling Austin magnate. Receiving a $25,000 donation from Paul, Paxton used his office to help the real estate mogul avoid foreclosures in Plano, Austin, and San Antonio. Paxton fired four AG Office whistleblowers who attested that several people in that state department knew that his friend Paul hired Paxton’s extra-marital girlfriend following the AG’s “recommendation.” The co-chair for the Lawyers for Trump Coalition acknowledged this was not the first time for Paxton’s unethical and illegal activities.
Ken also used his office to reverse the state’s official position in a lawsuit involving conservatives in McKinney’s Collins County. Additionally, Paxton has used his position to intervene on behalf of out-of-state donors. Paxton’s wife, Texas Senator Angela Paxton, filed a bill to increase the AG’s power, especially in the realm of business share trading. The bill never made it past committee.
Following the United States Supreme Court ruling making same-sex legal nationwide, Paxton was investigated for telling Texas county clerks that they could opt out of issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples two days after the Court’s announcement. Last year he used his AG power to allow a friend to fly to his Colorado home while still under COVID restrictions, a clear abuse of his office’s power. Pursuant to Paxton’s indictments, Congressman Chip Roy stated the “AG deserves his day in court, but the people of Texas deserve a fully functioning AG’s Office.” Eight whistleblowers resigned under duress, fearing retaliation in spite of Texas’ Whistleblower Act. Other AG staff have also resigned.
Responding to Paxton’s multiple indictments, there were several six-figure contributions from Republican and right-wing individuals and organizations to his legal defense, probable violations of federal anti-bribery laws. Like GOP Chair Allen West, Senator Ted Cruz, and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Paxton started his political career as a member of the Tea Party. Some attorney members of Texas AG’s Office have stated fear that the office’s reputation will be hurt in litigation-heavy divisions of the state courts. Shane Phelps, Senior Deputy Attorney General under former Texas AGs John Cornyn and Dan Morales, stated that “Any action taken by the AG’s office under Paxton is suspect.”
Paxton shamelessly sued to overturn the 2020 election, then visited Donald Trump in Washington to show support, evidently seeking presidential pardon for his multiple felony indictments.
The above reflects the new Republican Party of nationwide outrageous deceit and belligerence. It’s bemusing to hear calls for civility in U.S. Congress while this dishonest faction overtly lies and denies the violent attack at the national Capitol on January 6. Remember when government could only work through compromise? This is a pipe dream in today’s politics. For over fifty years Republicans have formed a coalition of capitalists, racists, so-called religious fundamentalists, and a naïve or willfully blind base. Compiling a thesaurus, an 18th century French abbot stated, “A stupid man cannot learn, an ignorant man will not learn.” These people don’t want to learn, they don’t know how to compromise. That’s been their method of operation, even behaving offensively against their own party members who abide by the Constitution. But this can be undone, if Americans want to move the nation forward again. They just have to vote the evil-doers out of Congress.
It won’t be easy. Republicans have used their stranglehold on Congress to accumulate money, gerrymander prolifically, suppress voting, continuously promote conspiracy theories, and generally make it hard for good people to prevail. Trump lost the 2016 popular election by three million and the 2020 election by seven million, plus he was indicted twice. This racist blustered and lied, offering nothing beneficial to the general population. Good citizens must energize and come out in larger numbers. They must stop bickering about ideological purity to become an unstoppable majority and enact legislation that will improve the lives of ordinary people. Then the Republicans, with their instinctive, fear-induced impulses cannot stop progress. This is our only hope of keeping up with a world that is changing faster than ever before.
