Former Texas Deputy Attorney General Mark Penley on Monday said he warned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) that it would be “very dangerous” and “unethical” for the office to investigate Austin real estate developer Nate Paul’s claims of law enforcement misconduct.
As the second week of the impeachment trial kicked off, Penley testified that he planned to tell Paxton at a 2020 meeting that probing Paul’s allegations was “a very dangerous investigation for him to continue,” citing that the attorney general was a friend of Paul’s, and that Paul was a campaign donor to Paxton.
“There was no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing. There was no legal basis to continue the investigation. There was no ethical basis to continue the investigation,” Penley said.
“And then I also told him, there was great risk to him. This could look like bribery; this could turn into a criminal charge against him. I told him this could turn into a media scandal if it got out. I said, ‘You should not be doing this, please back away from this, let me handle this my way,’” Penley said, adding that “I told him of those things and many others.”
Penley was the latest witness to take the stand in the historic trial, the first of its kind in the Lone Star State’s history. He was among the whistleblowers who filed suit against Paxton, alleging they were pressured to resign and then fired in retaliation after they reported Paxton.
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