‘When it comes to technology as powerful and potentially dangerous as AI, we should be cautious about silencing state-level efforts to protect consumers and children.’
Long before Paxton tried to help former President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election and stockpiled lawsuits against the Biden administration, he was a little-known Republican legislator whose courting of the party’s far right catapulted his ascent to Texas’ top law enforcement official.
Only two Republicans voted to convict Paxton on any of the impeachment articles, well short of the nine that would have needed to join Senate Democrats in order to remove Paxton from office.
The fallout in the Texas Capitol is likely only beginning and threatens to spill into the 2024 elections, when conservative allies of the Trump-backed Attorney General say they will target Republican legislators who led the investigation against Paxton.
On Thursday, Paxton’s lawyers wrapped up their defense in a single day, calling just four witness who all currently work for the three-term incumbent.
Paxton’s affair has taken a central role in the historic proceeding, with several of his former senior employees testifying they believed it explained why Paxton was using his office to aid a wealthy donor who employed the woman.
The affair is one of 20 articles of impeachment.
There will be no more days off until the trial is resolved, raising the possibility that a decision could come over the weekend.
The first witnesses were Paxton’s top former staff as Republican impeachment managers got straight to the heart of case.
If convicted, Paxton could be barred from elected office in Texas.
