AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office settled a whistleblower lawsuit because he wouldn’t have gotten a fair shake from the courts in “super liberal” Travis County.

Last week, Paxton’s office agreed to pay $3.3 million to four former top aides, who alleged in their suit that Paxton retaliated against them for accusing him of serious crimes.

In an appearance Wednesday on a conservative talk radio show on 660AM The Answer, Paxton said the cost to keep fighting the two-year-old lawsuit was a factor in settling, but so was the venue.

“On the law, we were always very optimistic because we knew we were right. And on the facts we knew we were right,” said Paxton, a Republican recently re-elected to a third term. “The challenge is how much is it going to cost and where are you at litigating it? If we were in Collin County, my home county, we would have a whole different assessment.”

These appear to be Paxton’s first public remarks, other than a statement he issued last week, since the settlement was announced Friday. They come as the agreement is still pending: the GOP-led Legislature must agree to spend state money to fund it.

Related:Who will pay for Texas AG Ken Paxton’s office $3.3M settlement with whistleblowers?

On Wednesday, Paxton predicted the cost to keep litigating would exceed the settlement cost because the case could drag on for “years and years” and an unfriendly jury could agree to a massive award.

“If you’re in the wrong court, we know what...

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