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A whistleblower’s comment that he and his associates “took no evidence” when they reported Ken Paxton to the FBI has turned into an early flashpoint in the attorney general’s impeachment trial.
The comment Thursday from Ryan Vassar set off jubilation among Paxton supporters and prompted a House lawyer, Rusty Hardin, to coach Vassar through a clarification Friday.
Vassar said he meant physical evidence, and Hardin asserted that Vassar going to the FBI was inherently a form of evidence because he was a witness to a potential crime.
Vassar, the former deputy attorney general for legal counsel, was among the top Paxton aides who went to the FBI in October 2020 to share concerns that Paxton was abusing his office to help Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor and Paxton campaign donor. The articles of impeachment accuse Paxton of going to extraordinary lengths to help Paul investigate his perceived enemies as his businesses were floundering.
Suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton is accused of bribery, disregarding his official duty, making false statements and abusing the public trust. Paxton allegedly misused the powers of the attorney general’s office to help his friend and donor Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor. Impeachment managers...
WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s years-long campaign to undermine faith in U.S. elections has gained broad traction with the American public, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows, p...