OPINION AND COMMENTARY
Editorials and other Opinion content offer perspectives on issues important to our community and are independent from the work of our newsroom reporters.
It sometimes seems that there is no check on Attorney General Ken Paxton’s malfeasance and ineptitude.
So, we were heartened to see House Speaker Dade Phelan declare that Paxton would have to justify to the Legislature why taxpayers should cover a settlement with former Paxton employees who allege the attorney general retaliated against them for reporting bribery allegations against him.
In the end, the state is probably going to cough up the $3.3 million. It’s an employment case against the agency, not against Paxton personally. But if it opens the door to some real legislative oversight over Paxton’s tenure, it’ll be worth every penny.
If you can’t keep track of the myriad Paxton scandals, we don’t blame you. In this case, the McKinney Republican fired four top deputies who were part of a group that went to law enforcement with allegations of abuse of office. They contended that Paxton acted to help a campaign donor and a woman with whom he was having an affair. Paxton has denied the claims.
It’s understandable why Paxton’s fellow Republicans in Austin wouldn’t want to touch that much, especially with a federal investigation reportedly underway. But budget writers and other legislators owe it to their constituents to fully vet such a large settlement.
Good governance also demands that lawmakers...
stage at the Ninth Circuit, where pharmaceutical companies say a momentous new ruling "illustrates perfectly" the constitutional concerns of U. S. Supreme Court justices regarding FCA enforcement. ...