An attorney for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton said Monday the Republican will not testify during his impeachment trial scheduled to start on Sept. 5.
In a statement released late Monday, Tony Buzbee, one of Paxton鈥檚 attorneys, bashed once again the Texas House鈥檚 move to impeach Paxton in late May, calling the 20 articles of impeachment against him 鈥渕eritless.鈥�
鈥淭hat is why Attorney General Paxton will not dignify the illegal House action by testifying,鈥� Buzbee said. 鈥淲e will not bow to their evil, illegal, and unprecedented weaponization of state power in the Senate chamber.鈥�
Paxton鈥檚 decision to not testify is a clear defiance of the impeachment trial the Texas Senate adopted last month.
Under a by that chamber, Paxton is 鈥渙rdered to appear in person and by counsel at or before 9 a.m. on September 5, 2023, in the City of Austin, State of Texas, at the Chamber of the Texas Senate, to answer the said charges of impeachment.鈥�
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick鈥檚 office and the Texas House attorneys did not respond to requests for comment from The Texas Newsroom.
Under the Senate rules, the presiding officer of the trial 鈥渉as the power to compel the attendance of witnesses 鈥� and to punish for contempt to the same extent as district courts in the State of Texas.鈥�
Paxton was in June by the Republican-led Texas House. He is only the third official in the history of the state to be impeached.
Since then, he鈥檚 been suspended from his duties until the conclusion of the Senate impeachment trial.
Most of the articles of impeachment against Paxton are related to his relationship with Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor who was with eight felony counts of making false statements to financial institutions.
According to House investigators, Paxton used his office to try to intervene in a federal investigation against Paul, who is a political donor of Paxton's.
Some articles of impeachment are related to Paxton's 2015 securities fraud federal indictment, for which he has yet to stand trial.
However, those articles of impeachment could only be voted on by the Senators . Senators could also vote to dismiss them.
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