AUSTIN, Texas: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has rejected a prosecutors demand for records of his appearance at a pro-Donald Trump rally that preceded the assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Last week, the Travis County district attorneys office had set a four-day deadline for Paxton to turn over the records involving the Jan. 6, 2021, rally or face a lawsuit accusing him of violating the state open records law. But in a letter to the district attorney’s office Friday, the attorney generals office denied any violations and rejected the offices demands.
The Texas Tribune was the first to report about Paxton’s refusal. A message to the district attorney’s office seeking comment wasnt immediately returned.
Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, appeared at the event in Washington, D.C., where the attorney general gave a speech touting his failed legal push to overturn Joe Bidens victory in the presidential election.
Several news organizations have requested Paxtons communications from around that time under the Texas Public Information Act. Last March, six news outlets jointly published a story raising questions about whether Paxton was breaking open records laws.
Earlier this month, top editors at five Texas newspapers the Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News filed a complaint asking the district attorney to investigate the alleged violations.
Paxton faces several GOP challengers in his reelection bid this year.
Last fall, eight of Paxtons top deputies accused him of bribery, abuse of office and other crimes in the service of another supporter, an Austin real estate developer who employs a woman with whom the attorney general allegedly had an extra-marital affair. The FBI is investigating those allegations.
The attorney general has also spent most of his time in office under a separate felony indictment. He pleaded not guilty in 2015 to three state securities fraud charges but is yet to face trial.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Read all the Latest News here
Comments
0 comment