Following months of rumors, there was some clarification on Tuesday regarding what to anticipate at Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial and who to anticipate hearing from.
Paxton entered a not guilty plea to all of the impeachment charges against him on the first day of the historic trial, and the first witness—one of the eight whistleblowers—took the witness stand.
Here are some of the other significant news stories that were discussed in the Texas Senate during the first day of the trial.On Sam Houston’s Bible, senators were sworn in. The Sam Houston Bible was used to administer the oaths of office to each senator individually rather than collectively.
After Lunch, Paxton Left
After a lunch break, it was clear that one important witness, Paxton, was no longer there when the trial resumed.
He was informed by rule that he needed to be present for all of the motions and considerations on Tuesday morning in the Senate chambers. However, he was not obligated to be there after that, and by the time opening arguments started, he had left.
Opening Remarks
Source: CNN
One hour was allotted for the opening statements from each side. However, the strategies employed by the two sides were highly dissimilar.
Nate Paul, an Austin real estate entrepreneur and donor, was mentioned by Murr. “These witnesses will explain step-by-step how they discovered that Mr. Paxton grew increasingly intent and passionate about helping his partner,” Murr said. They will go into great detail about the moment they realized Mr. Paxton was corrupting himself gradually.
Paxton’s lawyers, meanwhile, took almost the entire hour. They condemned the proceedings, Paxton’s treatment, and the accusations throughout their opening statements.
They specifically disputed assertions that Paul funded improvements to Paxton’s Austin house. They said that they would talk about how Paxton’s claimed lover obtained the job with Paul, which they claim she earned.
One of Paxton’s attorneys, Tony Buzbee, stated that cases should only be resolved based on the evidence. But I do have to ask: Will this really be a fair trial?Ken Paxton has been found guilty in the press on the basis of misunderstanding, supposition, and downright lying.
Trial Resumes On Wednesday
To convict Paxton, the Senate must vote with 21 senators, or two-thirds of the chamber. He might be prohibited from ever running for public office in Texas again if he is found guilty on even one of the 16 accusations he is being tried on.
