The state House of Representatives in Texas has announced that they have appointed 12 managers to head up the impeachment case against the state’s Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
These managers will be responsible for making the case and presenting all evidence to the Senate during its impeachment trial. The state Senate in Texas as of yet has not announced a schedule for when that impeachment trial will take place.
The state House in Texas announced on Monday that the 12 managers will be made up of five Democrats and seven Republicans. Last Friday, the House voted by an overwhelming margin of 121-23 to impeach Paxton on 20 different articles.
Immediately following the impeachment vote in the House, Paxton was suspended from serving in his office while he awaits the trial in the state Senate. The impeachment articles were brought forward by the Texas House General Investigations Committee.
The committee announced only last week that it was conducting an investigation into what it termed “a yearslong pattern of misconduct and questionable actions that include bribery, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice,” according to a report in the Texas Tribune.
The impeachment happened despite a last-ditch effort from former President Donald Trump for the Texas House to not move forward with the vote. Paxton is considered a strong ally of Trump’s.
Following the impeachment vote, Paxton took to Twitter to write:
“I am beyond grateful to have the support of millions of Texans who recognize that what we just witnessed is illegal, unethical and profoundly unjust. I look forward to a quick resolution in the Texas Senate, where I have full confidence the process will be fair and just.”
To be removed from office, two-thirds of the members of the Texas Senate would have to vote in favor of doing so. If he’s permanently removed from office, Paxton would also be barred from holding any future elected office in the state of Texas.
In most cases, it would seem unlikely that Paxton would be removed from office. However, there were 60 Republicans in the state House that voted in favor of his impeachment, including all five of the representatives from Collin County, where Paxton has lived with his family for decades.
It’ll be the job of these 12 impeachment managers to make the case for why they believe Paxton should be removed from office.
The chairman of that committee, Republican Andrew Murr, held a press conference in the Texas House on Memorial Day and told reporters:
“We will manage this process with the weight and reverence that it deserves and requires. This is about facts and the evidence. It is not about politics.”
In addition to Murr being its chair, the committee consists of Democrats Ann Johnson from Houston (vice chair), Joe Moody from El Paso, Terry Canales from Edinburg, Oscar Longoria from Mission and Erin Elizabeth Gamez from Brownsville.
The other Republicans on the committee are Charlie Geren from Fort Worth, Jeff Leach from Allen, Morgan Meyer from Dallas, Briscoe Cain from Houston, Cody Vasut from Angleton and David Spiller from Jacksboro.
