Las Cruces Community Radio 101.5 FM
  • Home
  • Donate
  • Listen
    • Archives
  • Schedule
    • Programs
  • Underwrite
  • Merch
  • About Us
  • Events
  • Contact Us

Walt Rubel Commentary: Texas Senate chooses to look away

9/21/2023

 
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted by a grand jury in 2015 on two counts of securities fraud and one count of failing to register with the state.

He allegedly defrauded investors in a tech startup company called Server Inc. He has thus far been able to delay the start of his trial. But, those criminal charges were not the reason Paxton had 16 articles of impeachment filed against him by the Texas House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans.
They were sparked by a letter sent by Paxton’s former first assistant Jeffrey Mateer and other high-ranking members of his staff alleging that he had violated both federal and state law relating to abuse of office, improper influence, bribery and other charges.

More specifically, he was accused of launching an investigation into the federal agents who had raided the home and business of Nate Paul, a friend and campaign donor to Paxton.

Paxton fired his top assistants, and they responded with a lawsuit. In February they agreed to a $3.3 million settlement, which Paxton then asked the state Legislature to cover for him. 

That request led to a secret investigation by the House that uncovered more shady dealings between not only Paxton and Paul, but also the woman employed by Paul who allegedly had an affair with Paxton.

House investigators accused Paxton of abuse of official capacity for allegedly ordering state employees to conduct work that benefitted Paul; misuse of public information for allegedly giving him an internal FBI file on their investigation; and misapplication of fiduciary property for allegedly hiring an outside lawyer to work for Paul within the AG’s Office.

Members of the AG staff allegedly wrote a legal opinion intended to help Paul avoid the foreclosure sale of businesses he owned. The outside attorney issued more than 30 grand jury subpoenas investigating false claims made by Paul.

For his part, along with contributing to Paxton’s campaign, Paul also helped to fund the remodeling of his Austin home.

Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives looked at the evidence and joined with Democrats in voting 121-23 for Paxton’s impeachment. Republicans in the state Senate choose to look away.

Instead of addressing the allegations head on, they deflected. This wasn’t really about Paxton, they insisted. This was about a rebellious House trying to assert its power. That’s what we should be focusing on.

Paxton will soon face a federal grand jury that will likely be less concerned with the political consequences of its decision than the Texas Senate was.

The real issue is not him, it’s a Republican Party that now reflexively chooses to look away anytime one of its leaders is accused of wrongdoing. Paxton undoubtedly benefited from his relationship to a former president who has been charged with 91 state and federal crimes in four separate indictments, and has gained in popularity with Republican voters after every new criminal charge.

Don't ask his supporters about the details of any of those cases. They don’t know or care. When everything boils down to us vs. them, none of the details matter.

Trump has taken the moral compass that Republicans once relied on and smashed it beneath his heel.


Walter Rubel can be reached at [email protected].
Listen to the audio version

Comments are closed.

    Shows

    All
    All About Books
    Cafe Con Leche
    Commentaries
    Coronavirus Update
    Delving In
    Earth Matters
    Eye On Government
    Just Community
    Live From The Market
    Live True
    Local Vibes Live
    Mesilla Valley Sports Show
    Speak Up Las Cruces
    Special Broadcasts
    Take On Faith
    The Sunday Show
    Think Again
    This Week In Las Cruces

    Music Shows

    You can find a two-week archive of all of our music shows and nearly every other one of our shows by going to our Schedule page.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly