All you need to know about Paxy here
1. Securities fraud indictment — Indicted in 2015 on felony charges for failing to disclose commissions while urging investors to buy stock in a tech startup. The case dragged on for a decade; he eventually paid $300,000 in restitution and did community service to get the charges dropped.
2. Impeached by the Texas House — In 2023, the Republican-controlled House impeached him 121–23 on 20 articles, accusing him of bribery, abuse of power, and corruption. He was acquitted in the Senate along party lines.
3. Whistleblower retaliation — Four top deputies reported him to the FBI for corruption; he fired them. Texas taxpayers ended up paying them $6.6 million after courts ruled the firings were illegal.
4. Nate Paul bribery scandal — Accused of using his office to help donor Nate Paul by interfering in lawsuits, delaying foreclosures, and investigating Paul’s rivals. Paul allegedly paid for home renovations and helped cover up Paxton’s affair.
5. Admitted extramarital affair — Paxton confessed to an affair in 2018. His wife filed for divorce in 2025 on “biblical grounds” citing adultery after 38 years of marriage.
6. Questionable financial dealings — Became a multimillionaire in office. Faced mortgage fraud allegations for claiming multiple homes as primary residences for tax breaks and misrepresenting properties.
7. Failed 2020 election lawsuit — Sued other states to overturn the presidential results. The Supreme Court dismissed it for lack of standing; the State Bar sued him for misconduct over it.
8. Ethics and disclosure violations — Multiple instances of failing to properly disclose investments and business ties, including earlier ones from his time in the Texas House.
9. Alleged misuse of office resources — Accused of directing staff time, legal opinions, and investigations to benefit personal associates and donors rather than serving the public interest.
10. History of minor scandals — Includes a 2013 incident where he was caught on camera taking another lawyer’s expensive pen from a courthouse, plus other ethics complaints over the years.
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