Evidence in Ken Paxton impeachment trial published on Senate website
AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) — More details are being revealed in the impeachment proceedings against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Evidence gathered by the House Board of Managers is now published on a Senate website, detailing Paxton’s relationship with Austin developer Nate Paul, who was also a campaign contributor.
The 4,000 pages include transcripts of interviews, emails, text messages, an open records request to DPS for all communications concerning Paul and a log of Uber rides taken under the pseudonym “Dave P” among other elements.
Earlier this week, prosecutor Rusty Hardin wrote in a response to a motion to dismiss that “in 2019 and 2020, Paxton became entangled in Paul’s web of deceit. Paxton continually abused the power of his office to advance Paul’s aims."
The report says Paul created an Uber account for Paxton under the alias “Dave P” and Paxton used it to visit his mistress.
The apartment lease for Paxton’s alleged mistress shows Paul hired her June 2020 and that “Paul paid for renovations at Paxton’s Austin home, which Paxton sought to conceal.”
Hardin’s response went on to say, “Uber records reflect drivers picked up Paxton under the alias of 'Dave P' a block from his home and ferried him to his lover’s or Paul’s properties more than a dozen times from August 6, 2020, until October 2, 2020.”
“it’s very amateurish and slapdash which that is a pattern that has repeated itself with Ken Paxton. He’s originally indicted because he testified to the elements of a crime when he was under oath in a civil case,” attorney and former Dallas city councilmember Phillip Kingston said.
The transcripts in the evidence include interviews with the former Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore and her first assistant.
Mindy Montford was the first assistant district attorney from 2016 to 2021 and is now senior counsel for cold cases in the OAG. She told the interviewer that on May 8, 2020, Paxton arranged for Paul to meet with Montford at a lunch – where Montford said Paul claimed the federal investigation against him was a conspiracy.
Ultimately, Montford said she and the district attorney did not believe him. “
You're talking to the Attorney General of Texas. I don't think I felt comfortable saying, 'This guy's nuts.' You know. I think I did it in probably a very roundabout way diplomatic, by suggesting, "let the federal investigation play itself out,” she is quoted as saying on page 679 of Volume 1.
“He’s way outside his lane at that point. So, one of the things that the lawyers in the House are going to be able to argue in the senate is that none of this is within the purview of the attorney general’s office," Kingston said.
According to Montford, Moore worked with Paxton to hopefully bring back funding for the public integrity unit, which had been defunded by Gov. Rick Perry. Moore told the interviewer that in 2020, she had her office write Paxton a letter saying if he thought there was wrongdoing against Paul, that his office should investigate, not hers.
“Even if the attorney general’s office had criminal prosecution authority it would be highly inappropriate for him to try to buttonhole other law enforcement,” said Kingston, who said the OAG has the power to investigate.
You can read all of the public document connected to the Senate impeachment trial here.
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