TEXAS HOUSE IMPEACHES REPUBLICAN STATE AG KEN PAXTON:

The Texas house of representatives voted on Saturday to impeach state attorney general Ken Paxton, temporarily removing him from office days after a Republican-led investigative committee voted unanimously to recommend his impeachment for several alleged abuses of office. He now faces a trial in the state senate.

The Texas house voted 121–23 to impeach the Republican attorney general after the committee filed 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton.

Texas has previously had only two impeachments under the constitution of 1876, including a governor and a district judge.

As a result of Paxton’s impeachment, “by lumping all of Paxton’s sins together to pursue this course, [House Speaker Dade Phelan is] creating a divisive primary issue for every single Republican member. Their desire to dodge the Senate’s conservative priorities is real — but is it worth it to impeach a popular conservative with well-heeled backers? If they vote for impeachment, the conservative base will come after them, and those same west Texans will fund their primary challengers. If he’s overplayed his hand, Phelan may end up losing his speakership due to the resentment over forcing such a vote on his fellow Republicans.”