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AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) — The cross-examination in the Ken Paxton impeachment trial is getting more "cross" as defense lawyers questioned his accusers' motives Thursday.
Whistleblowers said they went to the FBI with a "good faith belief" that the suspended attorney general had committed a crime but Paxton's lawyers pointed to the lack of evidence.
On the third day of Paxton's impeachment trial, examination almost solely focused on some of the employees at the Office of the Attorney General who reported Paxton's behavior to federal authorities: Jeff Mateer, Ryan Bangert, and Ryan Vassar.
Ryan Vassar, the former Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel, was ultimately fired after he reported Paxton, and he was one of the four initial whistleblowers who sued Paxton after termination, which resulted in the impeachment trial today.
In order to convict Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial, the House Board of Managers must prove their case against Paxton beyond a reasonable doubt much like in a criminal trial.
Paxton's attorneys have made claims of disgruntled staffers in the attorney general’s office and an alleged office "coup" to oust Paxton.
Paxton's attorneys have cited a few specific circumstances in their effort to allege possible forethought from the staff that reported Paxton to authorities: a letter sent that had allegedly stripped Paxton's name from the Office of the Attorney General letterhead; the potential recruitment of another attorney; and George P. Bush, who...
Although on appeal the court distinguished that there was new information in the claim, the court ultimately found the new information was not material, nor was it plead with particularity. The U....