Texas Senate Set to Gavel in for Impeachment Trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton

The Texas Senate is set to gavel in Tuesday for the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, a political reckoning of years of alleged corruption that could lead to his permanent ouster from office. The trial marks the third impeachment in the state’s history and is a rare instance of a political party seeking to hold one of its own to account for allegations of wrongdoing.

Paxton, a 60-year-old Republican, has built a national profile fighting high-profile legal battles, including trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Hundreds of people are expected to descend on the Texas Capitol on Tuesday to witness the proceedings.

The fate of Paxton is in the hands of GOP senators with whom he served before winning a statewide race to take charge of the attorney general’s office in 2015. The Senate, convened as a high court of impeachment, will consider whether to remove him from office.

The impeachment also came as a sudden rebuke to Paxton, who has been a prominent figure in the state and nationally. It’s a dramatic fall for a man who gained a national profile as a staunch defender of conservative causes.

The trial is expected to last several days and will include testimony from witnesses and evidence presented by both sides. It is unclear how the Senate will vote, but if two-thirds of the senators find Paxton guilty, he will be removed from office.