Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is promising to appeal a nearly $6.7 million judgment against his office in the ongoing whistleblower case.

Four plaintiffs were among Paxton's former top lieutenants he fired after they reported potential wrongdoing. Texas taxpayers will pay for this judgment if lawmakers agree to fund it. The legislature didn't do so two years ago when there was a settlement in this case, and costs have jumped dramatically since then.

Years before the Texas House impeached Paxton and the Senate cleared him of any wrongdoing in a trial, the four high-level employees in his office filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the Attorney General's Office.

They claimed Paxton fired them illegally after they went to the FBI to report what they thought were violations of the law, including bribery. Late Friday, a Travis County Judge awarded the four men the judgment.

"The court finds that Plaintiffs have proved liability, damages, and reasonable and necessary attorney's fees by a preponderance of the evidence," Judge Catherine Mauzy said. "OAG [Office of Attorney General] by and through its counsel of record elected not to dispute the Plaintiff's lawsuit as to any issue, including any issue of fact in this case as to the claim or damages."

It will be up to the Texas legislature to pay the settlement. State Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, who was one of Paxton's attorneys during his impeachment trial, said lawmakers shouldn't pick up the tab.

"Not a chance in heck,"...

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