AUSTIN — What happens now that Ken Paxton’s office has settled the lawsuit filed by four whistleblowers who accused him of bribery and abuse of office?

There are a lot of questions about the agreement, who will be on the hook to pay and why Paxton’s office and the whistleblowers agreed to the settlement. The Dallas Morning News reached out to the state’s budget leaders and legal experts to get answers.

The whistleblower lawsuit dates back to late 2020, when eight high-ranking employees at the attorney general’s office went to law enforcement with allegations that Paxton had committed bribery and abuse of office. They said the attorney general flexed his official power multiple times to help Nate Paul, an Austin-based real estate developer and Paxton campaign donor.

All eight of the employees were fired; four sued Paxton’s agency alleging the attorney general retaliated against them for raising concerns. In their lawsuit, they alleged Paul secured a job for a woman with whom Paxton was allegedly having an affair and helped with a kitchen remodel for the attorney general’s home.

The FBI opened an investigation based on their allegations. It’s unclear the status of the federal case; no charges have been filed. Paxton has denied wrongdoing and cast the probe as a politically motivated witch hunt.

On Friday, Paxton’s agency and the whistleblowers announced they had agreed on the terms of a settlement. The agency will pay $3.3 million to the four whistleblowers and the final...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWxsYXNuZXdzLmNv...