Updates
9:35a, May 29, 2023
Brent Webster, Paxton’s second-in-command, has taken over Paxton’s duties as TX Attorney General. The Tribune has more.
HR 2337
Impeaching Warren Kenneth Paxton, Attorney General of the State of Texas
From one to five I watched it live. All of it. Opening statements. Arguments for and against. Points of inquiry. Parliamentary procedures. Passionate pleas for process above emotion. And gray-haired men who were unaware their wistful pines for how we did things ‘back in 1917’ would land like pee-paw talking at us with one of his stories again.
I wasn’t washing dishes or folding clothes or walking the dog either; I gave the same undivided attention I’m giving to the final episodes of Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Which is why I can’t believe I almost missed the vote!1 Squished into 30 seconds at the end, with the same level of fanfare and pageantry we reserve for putting a new roll of toilet paper in the bathroom, 121 lawmakers in the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach the Texas Attorney General.
Sunday morning front page of Houston Chronicle
The legislative branch checking the executive. Republican legislators questioning the integrity of their Republican attorney general, accusing him of misconduct, and suspending him from his statewide elected position — pending the upcoming trial in the Texas Senate. And all in the final days of the Texas Legislature, which only meets during odd-numbered years. It’s like Game of Thrones for local civics nerds.
My favorite moment visually was during the opening statements, when iconic Representatives Andrew Murr (R-Kerrville) and Ann Johnson (D-Houston) shared the screen. Between Murr’s curly-twirly moustache and Johnson’s Warby Parker-rimmed glasses, the two lawmakers looked less like their committee finished a months-long investigation of the state’s highest-ranking prosecutor, and more like they were going to distill craft-whiskey while writing a best-selling novel.
Hipster Representatives Andrew Murr (R-Kerrville) and Ann Johnson (D-Houston) sport subtly iconic attire during opening statements of the HR 2337 vote to impeach TX Attorney General Ken Paxton
“The last 72 hours has shown us why Ken Paxton is so desperate to keep his case in the Court of Public Opinion: because he has no ability to win in a Court of Law.”2
— TX Rep. Ann Johnson
Yes, Rep. Johnson’s opening line was masterfully written and forcefully delivered. Most vocal lawmakers, if not all, sought to speak their minds with oratory fervor and rhetorical skill, understandably hoping for a media-friendly moment in this high-profile session. But it was after about ten minutes or so into her 30-minute opening statement when Rep. Johnson’s voice tempered as she lay out testimony after testimony supporting each of the 20 articles of impeachment with a centered, authentic timbre.
I suppose if you knew 1+1=2, you wouldn’t need to shout, beg, demonize, or hyperbolize it to others — because anyone could take one look at the evidence and reach the same conclusion. I got the sense I was hearing someone who had done their work, someone who was talking about evidence and people over process, and wasn’t trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. So that when she spoke her final line there was a granite-like resolve:
“This story now comes to the fork in the road for all of us, and either this is going to be the beginning of the end of his criminal reign, or God help us with the harms that will come to all Texans if he is allowed to stay the top cop on the take. If millions of Texans can’t trust us to do the right thing, right here, right now… then what are we here for?”3
— TX Rep. Ann Johnson
Well, let’s see how this plays out in the upcoming Texas Senate trial, overseen by Lt. Governor Patrick. For now, Ken Paxton is barred from serving as Texas AG, as we wait for Governor Abbott’s replacement appointment.
As you may have noticed, this piece has nothing to do with the 2023 elections in Houston and Harris County. That’s how ground-breaking this news is!
Appendix: Sources
KVUE - Impeachment proceedings against Ken Paxton in Texas House - Vote Tally (3:47:06) ↩
KVUE - Impeachment proceedings against Ken Paxton in Texas House - Opening Line by Rep. Johnson (0:55:28) ↩
KVUE - Impeachment proceedings against Ken Paxton in Texas House - Closing Line by Rep. Johnson (1:24:52) ↩