Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick Calls for Audit of Taxpayer Funds Spent on Paxton Impeachment
On Saturday, The Gateway Pundit reported that Texas Senators acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment.
In May, the Republican-led Texas House impeached the highly popular Paxton over allegations of misconduct. The 20 articles include “bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust” – according to the Associated Press.
The Senate voted to hear evidence on 16 of the 20 articles of impeachment. Paxton, who was placed on administrative leave until the result of the Senate trial, would have been removed from office if he had been convicted on only one charge.
Now, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) is calling for an audit of taxpayer money spent during the impeachment process.
“Millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on this impeachment,” Patrick said after votes were cast in Paxton’s Senate impeachment trial.
He added, “I’m going to call next week for a full audit of all taxpayer money spent by the House from the beginning of their investigation in March to their final bills they get from their lawyers.”
Attorney General Paxton released a heartfelt statement, thanking his supporters, legal team, and family and shared plans to discuss the matter on Tucker Carlson’s show next week.
Today, the truth prevailed. The truth could not be buried by mudslinging politicians or their powerful benefactors. I’ve said many times: Seek the truth! And that is what was accomplished.
I thank the 4.2 million Texans who voted for me last year. I will always be grateful for your support, and I will continue to honor your vote by defending the rule of law and our constitutional rights. I’m also grateful for the state senators who followed the law and refused to overturn an election. I also thank my legal team for exposing the absurdity of these false allegations.
Patrick intentions echo an earlier statement by Texas State Representative Brian Harrison who has called for House Speaker Dade Phelan to “step down immediately” following the acquittal as well as an investigation by the State Auditor’s office.
In a scathing statement, Rep. Harrison wrote, “Speaker Phelan must step down now for empowering this Democrat effort while killing Republican priorities.” He continued, “I applaud the Texas Senate for conducting a fair and transparent trial and for reaching a verdict that was obviously correct given the shocking lack of evidence.”
Harrison accused the Texas House leadership of misleading and pressuring Republicans to join a Democrat-led effort to impeach Paxton, thereby tarnishing the reputation of the entire Texas House. He also called for an investigation by the State Auditor’s office to determine how much taxpayer money was wasted on the impeachment proceedings.
