Of the 4 state senators who characterize components of Bexar County, only one, Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels), voted to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment.
Campbell is a conservative and an ally of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, serving alongside three Democrats who make up Bexar County’s delegation in the state Senate.
In a press release Saturday, Campbell stated she believed “prosecutors failed to prove any article beyond reasonable doubt,” and “the articles [of impeachment] did not rise to the level of removal from office.”
Paxton confronted allegations of corruption and bribery, a few of which concerned serving to a political contributor who facilitated the legal professional basic’s alleged affair with a girl who labored for Campbell as her district director.
Like many GOP Senate colleagues, Campbell targeted the majority of her feedback on weaknesses in the prosecution, as Paxton’s authorized troubles proceed to unfold past the impeachment proceedings.
He will now return to work as legal professional basic, however nonetheless faces securities fraud fees, and is beneath federal investigation for a few of the identical corruption and bribery allegations the legislature explored.
“The prosecution left the door open to speculation and assumptions. There are questions that remain unanswered and only time will tell,” Campbell stated Saturday. “This was a historical event and I’m glad the right of innocent until proven guilty still prevailed.”
Prosecutors wanted 21 of the state’s 31 senators to approve at the very least one article of impeachment for Paxton to be faraway from workplace Saturday. The Senate is made up of 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Paxton’s spouse, Republican state Sen. Angela Paxton, was not allowed to vote.
Two Republican senators cut up with their celebration to assist some articles of impeachment, however none of the articles acquired 21 votes. Senators voted to dismiss 4 different articles outright, with all however one Democrat opposing the thought.
Headed into the proceedings Paxton’s legal professionals sought unsuccessfully to disqualify two Bexar County Democrats, Roland Gutierrez and José Menéndez, from collaborating as a result of “bias or prejudice against the accused.”
On Saturday, Gutierrez was certainly one of simply two senators who voted to convict Paxton on all fees.
“Hard-right Republicans decided today that it’s okay to take bribes and lie to the public, as long as you are the Republican Attorney General of Texas,” stated Gutierrez, who’s operating for the Democratic nomination to problem U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. “People elected to office are sworn to an oath to protect all the citizens under their charge, not their ultra wealthy, well-connected friends.”
Menéndez voted to convict on most articles, however sided with Republicans to acquit on article 4, as did a fourth state senator representing a part of Bexar County, Democrat Judith Zaffirini. Zaffirini additionally voted to acquit on article eight. Both articles concerned a “disregard of official duty.”
Menéndez stated after the trial that he was “disappointed” with the end result, and blamed “external forces” that “applied pressure to prevent jurors from voting impartially.”
Menéndez didn’t specify who or what exterior forces, however he and Gutierrez have sought to attract consideration to a pro-Paxton exterior group that gave $3 million to the marketing campaign of Patrick, who was tasked with overseeing the impeachment course of in the Senate.
“After an intense review of the evidence, an acquittal of every article of impeachment condones the morally bankrupt actions of Warren Kenneth Paxton, Jr.,” Menéndez stated in a press release. “Moreover, it sends a message to future whistleblowers that their bravery may not produce justice. The final chapter of this decision is not written, and it is my belief that this outcome will be known as a profound error.”
Zaffirini’s workplace didn’t present a remark on the impeachment proceedings.
