Texas AG Ken Paxton invites supporters to rally at state Capitol to peacefully protest vote to impeach

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday urged his supporters to peacefully protest at the state Capitol when Republicans in the House of Representatives take up historic impeachment proceedings that threaten to oust him.

The House has set a Saturday vote to consider impeaching Paxton and suspending him from office over allegations of bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust — just some of the accusations that have trailed him for most of his three terms.

Paxton, a 60-year-old Republican, decried the impeachment proceedings as “political theater” that will “inflict lasting damage on the Texas House,” adding to his earlier claims that it’s an effort to disenfranchise the voters who returned him to office in November.

“I want to invite my fellow citizens and friends to peacefully come let their voices be heard at the Capitol tomorrow,” he said at a news conference, without taking any questions. “Exercise your right to petition your government.”

If impeached, Paxton would be suspended from office immediately and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott could appoint an interim replacement. The attorney general would be just the third person in the state’s nearly 200-year history to be impeached and the first statewide officer since former Gov. James “Pa” Ferguson in 1917.

The House will begin considering a resolution calling for Paxton’s impeachment at 1 p.m. Saturday, according to a statement released Friday by the House Committee on General Investigating.

The GOP-led committee spent months quietly investigating Paxton and recommended his impeachment Thursday on 20 articles. Paxton has said the charges are based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims.”

The process in the House will start with opening statements at 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by four hours of debate, closing statements and then a vote, according to a memo from the committee.

Paxton faces grim math in the chamber, where he served five terms before becoming a state senator.