Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton may have to disclose more information about , after state ethics regulators passed new transparency rules for elected officials.
During its Tuesday meeting, the Texas Ethics Commission that requires officials to disclose properties they hold in a blind trust if they have 鈥渁ctual knowledge鈥� of the properties. If politicians have a rental property, they will also have to disclose the address and renter鈥檚 name. This information must be listed on the politician鈥檚 annual personal financial statement, an ethics form they file with the commission each spring.
The commission's members, who are appointed by state leaders, adopted the new rules without discussion.
The new rules come after The Texas Newsroom reported that Paxton did not disclose several properties owned by him or his blind trust in personal financial statements. On , Paxton wrote that the rules about rental income and property ownership
Paxton鈥檚 wife Angela, a state senator who is also a beneficiary of the blind trust, included the same note on .
Paxton or his blind trust own 10 properties across five states, according to public records The Texas Newsroom reviewed. in the property section of his last ethics form, .
Public records show Paxton owns three of the homes in his name, including and . Both appear to be available for rent. Paxton鈥檚 blind trust owns seven more properties, including two other Florida homes Paxton purchased under his name and then transferred to the trust and parcels of land in Hawaii and Utah.
County records show Angela Paxton has paid the taxes on the Utah land the last three years. Also, while the trust may be the named owner, Paxton鈥檚 home in McKinney is the mailing address listed on appraisal records for the land in Hawaii and three homes in Texas.
Six of these properties, all of them out of state, were purchased in the last three years. The Wall Street Journal in June 2023.
It鈥檚 unclear whether Paxton will now disclose more about these properties or his rental income in his next statement. He did not respond to questions about the new ethics rules.
Violating the rules could have serious consequences, including fines or criminal charges.
A commission spokesman did not answer questions about whether the new rules were passed in direct response to Paxton鈥檚 confusion or The Texas Newsroom鈥檚 reporting.
After its Tuesday meeting, the commissioners would also not say whether they were investigating Paxton. Chairman Randall H. Erben said he was aware of the reporting on the issue but could not say anything more because investigations must be kept secret.
鈥淚t鈥檚 publicly reported but we can鈥檛 discuss any enforcement action or the substance of it. So that鈥檚 the issue,鈥� Erben told The Texas Newsroom. 鈥淚鈥檓 not trying to be evasive. I promise. I鈥檇 like to talk about it. I鈥檇 like to shout it from the mountaintops. I can鈥檛 do it.鈥�
He added, 鈥淲e are taking enforcement action against everyone we can and it won鈥檛 change until the process is completed.鈥�
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