State Watch

Texas Gov praises Ken Paxton following his acquittal

Gov. Greg Abbott (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) and Ken Paxton (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) praised state Attorney General Ken Paxton following his acquittal Saturday after a historic impeachment trial.

“The jury has spoken. Attorney General Paxton received a fair trial as required by the Texas Constitution,” Abbott said in an official statement. “Attorney General Paxton has done an outstanding job representing Texas, especially pushing back against the Biden Administration. I look forward to continuing to work with him to secure the border and protect Texas from federal overreach.”

Paxton was acquitted of all 16 articles of impeachment by the Texas state Senate following eight days of witness testimony and another for closing arguments. If Paxton was convicted of even one of the charges, he would have been ousted. Instead, he will return to his post.

Paxton was impeached by the Texas state House of Representatives in May for interfering in federal investigations after being accused of engaging in inappropriate favors for donors and retaliating against whistleblowers.