The biggest takeaways from Day 1 of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial

By The Texas Newsroom

It’s been nearly half a century since Texas lawmakers considered removing an elected official from office. Today, that clock reset as the Texas Senate began impeachment proceedings for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Texas public radio stations teamed up for live coverage of the trial. This is a big, big story, so we're changing up the newsletter a little bit to focus on everything you need to know.

Background info

Paxton, a member of the Texas Republican Party’s most conservative bloc, was removed from office in May by the Texas House after an investigative committee presented the chamber with 20 articles of impeachment. They alleged Paxton committed bribery and abused the power of his office, among other allegations. Paxton was ousted by the Texas House after 121 members, including 60 Republicans,  voted for his removal.

The acts were tied to Austin real estate developer and campaign donor Nate Paul, who the investigators said benefited from his connections to Paxton. The Texas House investigators alleged Paxton used his office to intervene in a federal investigation into Paul and also asked staff in the attorney general’s office to modify a legal opinion to benefit his friend. That came despite several top Paxton staffers and aides pleading with the attorney general to reconsider. Those top deputies eventually reported Paxton to the FBI and were subsequently fired or quit; four of them later sued Paxton under state whistleblower protection laws.

Paul has since been charged with eight federal felonies; Paxton’s attorneys have denied the charges are connected to Paxton’s case.

Here’s a rundown of what happened

• Paxton's legal team filed 16 pretrial motions to dismiss the articles of impeachment, all of which had to be voted on by senators. Twenty-four of the 30 senators voted against dismissing the charges, allowing the trial to move forward. 
• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick ruled that because of the similarities of the impeachment trial to a criminal trial, Paxton cannot be compelled to testify.
• A group of about 20 Paxton supporters held a rally to protest his impeachment trial in Katy, near Houston. His supporters see a tie between the impeachment and an effort to remove former President Donald Trump from the Texas ballot. 
• Speaking through his lawyer, Paxton pleaded not guilty to all 20 impeachment charges.

• The prosecution and defense each had one hour for their opening statements. Chief impeachment manager and state Rep. Andrew Murr laid out the case for the prosecution, focusing on the accusations that Paxton abused his office to aid Austin real estate investor Nate Paul.
• Paxton's attorney Tony Buzbee led the defense. “Ken Paxton has been convicted in the press based on ignorance, innuendo and outright lies," he said in his opening statement. He also accused the Texas House Republicans, who led the investigations and who voted to oust Paxton, of colluding with a “drunken” lawmaker.
• The prosecution brought its first witness to the stand. Jeff Mateer served as first assistant attorney general of Texas under Ken Paxton, and he was unsuccessfully nominated as a federal judge by Trump. He was one of eight former AG staffers who filed a letter of protest against Paxton's behavior.
• Day 1 ended earlier than expected after an objection over admitting evidence, which Lt. Gov. Patrick said he would resolve in the morning. The Senate will reconvene at 9 a.m. tomorrow. The trial is expected to last several weeks.