(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Former President Donald Trump criticized the efforts of the Texas Speaker of the House, Dade Phelan, who is leading the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The impeachment proceedings are centered around a dispute over whether the state legislature should cover the costs of a legal settlement from Paxton’s office.
Trump, a staunch supporter of Paxton, took to Truth Social on Saturday to lash out at Phelan, accusing him of being a “RINO” (Republican in Name Only) and questioning his commitment to the Republican Party. Trump also torched Phelan for thwarting election integrity efforts.
Touting Paxton’s conservative accomplishments, Trump described him as “one of the most hard working and effective Attorney Generals in the United States.” Trump, the leading candidate for the GOP primary for president, accused liberal Republicans of usurping the will of Texas voters.
Paxton secured a third term as AG this past November, defeating embattled Democrat Rochelle Garza by approximately ten points. Previously, Paxton defeated Jeb Bush’s son, George P. Bush, in an embarrassing GOP primary for the Bush dynasty.
“You would think that any issue would have been fully adjudicated by the voters of Texas, especially when that vote was so conclusive….” Trump continued in the fired-up post.
Paxton spoke for the first time about the impeachment in an interview with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who hosted Newsmax’s Greg Kelly Reports on Friday. Paxton said this impeachment was a political hit job because he had “exposed” liberal Republicans for cutting deals with “liberal Democrats.”
The Texas AG also shared Trump’s reaction to the infamous impeachment on Twitter, where he was met with praise from key conservative leaders. In response to Paxton’s tweet, host of the Unafraid show Mike Crispi said, “Ken Paxton is AMERICA’S Attorney General.”
Crispi’s response was echoed by radio and TV host Grant Stinchfield who called the impeachment a “Kangaroo Court in Texas” in a Saturday tweet. Stinchfield accused “Soros Democrats” of conspiring with “RINOs” to attack Paxton.
Becker News CEO Kyle Becker reported a “bombshell” development in the Trump-style impeachment, involving calls from Paxton to GOP members of the state legislature threatening political consequences if they voted against him in the impeachment proceedings.
Texas Rep. Charlie Geren, a member of the investigative committee, introduced the impeachment on Saturday, saying, “We’re here today because the Attorney General asked the legislature to fund a multi-million dollar settlement against him.”
According to KXAN journalist Ryan Chandler, anti-Paxton Rep. David Spiller admitted that House Republicans did not have to find evidence of any wrongdoing to impeach Paxton. “You don’t have to have proof of anything beyond a reasonable doubt or by preponderance of the evidence,” Spiller said.
This is key: “You don’t have to have proof of anything beyond a reasonable doubt or by preponderance of the evidence,” Rep. Spiller tells members.
Their job is not to convict. Their job is that of a grand jury- to say whether there are sufficient grounds to proceed with a trial
— Ryan Chandler (@RyanChandler98) May 27, 2023
