AUSTIN, Texas — Day four of the impeachment trial of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rounded out the week of testimony from four state officials who had reported their boss to the FBI.
Former deputy assistant attorney general Ryan Vassar, the third witness, picked back up where he left off Thursday evening and attempted to explain why he and others believed Paxton had committed a slew of white-collar crimes to help an Austin real estate developer, Nate Paul.
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Paxton faces 16 articles of impeachment and was absent again Friday as the panel continued to hear witness testimony.
Vassar returns to trial with changed point of view
Vassar returned to the witness stand Friday morning intent on clearing up a mistake he made during his Thursday testimony.
Vassar said he did have "evidence" at the time that he reported Paxton to the FBI in late 2020 despite telling the Senate jury that he had "no evidence."
"The absence of documents is the evidence I was referring to," Vassar told Paxton's defense lawyer J. Mitch Little on Friday
House prosecutor Rusty Hardin then asked Vassar if he had brought his "brain," "experience," and "knowledge" to the FBI meeting as evidence. Vassar said yes, that was the nonphysical evidence he presented.
"Do you realize in the legal world that is evidence?" Hardin said sarcastically, siding with the witness.
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