Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is acquitted of 16 impeachment charges

TEXAS — Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been acquitted of 16 corruption charges at his impeachment trial, according to The Associated Press.

>> Read more trending news

Update 2:33 p.m. EDT Sept. 16: Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, following the Texas Senate’s verdict Saturday.

“The jury has spoken. Attorney General Paxton received a fair trial as required by the Texas Constitution. Attorney General Paxton has done an outstanding job representing Texas, especially pushing back against the Biden Administration,” Abbott said. “I look forward to continuing to work with him to secure the border and protect Texas from federal overreach.”

Paxton also released a statement, according to the AP.

“Today, the truth prevailed. The truth could not be buried by mudslinging politicians or their powerful benefactors,” Paxton said. “I’ve said many times: Seek the truth! And that is what was accomplished.”

Original story: The Texas Senate voted Saturday to acquit Paxton following a nine-day trial, according to The New York Times. The trial was focused on corruption allegations and how the Republican party has become divided in the state of Texas.

During the trial, Paxton was suspended which happened in May after the State House Impeachment but he will immediately resume his position as attorney general, the Times reported. He is currently in his third term.

During Paxton’s suspension, Gov. Greg Abbott had Angela Colmenero as an interim attorney general, the newspaper reported.

Paxton was up against 16 articles of impeachment. He was accused of abusing his office to assist real estate investor Nate Paul, the Times reported. Paxton and Paul denied any wrongdoing.

Paxton did not attend the majority of the proceedings and was not there for the verdict, the AP reported.