Deliberations begin in Texas AG Paxton's impeachment trial

Closing arguments are made in the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The jury of senators has begun deliberations Friday morning following closing arguments in the historic Texas Senate impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Closing arguments in the historic Texas Senate impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton began Friday morning with abbreviated remarks from the prosecution’s Rep. Andrew Murr, who led the House impeachment managers’ investigation, and followed by arguments from two of Paxton’s attorneys, Tony Buzbee and Dan Cogdell. After the House impeachment managers’ side finishes their remarks, which they returned to after Paxton’s side spoke, the jury of senators began deliberations, which will be closed to the public.

Paxton is being tried on 16 articles of impeachment that allege the attorney general abused his office through an improper relationship with campaign donor and real estate investor, Natin "Nate" Paul.

While the duration of deliberations is not known, the presiding judge over the trial, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, told jurors they should plan to work through the weekend if needed and will take no days off until they are ready to present their votes publicly.

He remarked Friday morning before closing arguments that "for the public, this is like 16 trials in one. This is not a normal trial," stressing the sheer number of articles the senators are responsible for deliberating over.

ABC News' Gina Sunseri contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former Rep. Will Hurd announces he’s running for the GOP presidential nomination

Image
Will Hurd is running for president, he said on "CBS Mornings" on Thursday, joining a crowded field vying for the Republican primary nomination, including Trump Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd is running for president , he said Thursday, joining a field of more than a dozen candidates who are vying for the Republican primary nomination . "We live in complicated times and we need common sense," Hurd said on "CBS Mornings," pointing to what he called "generational, defining challenges" such as China's rising global influence and the economic drag from inflation. "To be frank, I'm pissed that we're not talking about these things. I'm pissed that our elected officials are telling us to hate our neighbors," he said. "I believe the Republican Party can be the party that talks about the future, not the past. We should be putting out a vision of how do we have unprecedented peace, how do we have a thriving economy?" he ...
Read more

Gas stove procedural defeat puts the fragility of McCarthy's speakership on full display

Image
The revolt of 11 Republicans to join Democrats in striking down a procedural first step on gas stove legislation shows the fragility of McCarthy's speakership. The gas stove debate is boiling over, but it's Kevin McCarthy's speakership that may have been burned. A procedural first step to take up GOP-backed legislation to prohibit the federal government from banning gas stove s failed Tuesday afternoon -- at the hands of 12 GOP lawmakers. It was merely the first opportunity for House Freedom Caucus members dissatisfied with McCarthy and President Joe Biden's debt limit deal to revolt publicly against the speaker, joining 208 Democrats to vote down the rule. MORE: Why debt ceiling bill is a major test of Kevin McCarthy's leadership While it may be wonky, this procedural hurdle puts the fragility of McCarthy's speakership on full display. "We're not going to live in the era of the imperial speaker anymore," GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz told reporters...
Read more

Biden says Putin is losing 'war in Iraq' -- not Ukraine -- in latest gaffe

Image
Twice in 24 hours Biden misspoke when discussing the Ukraine-Russia war. Twice in 24 hours President Joe Biden misspoke when discussing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, referring to it instead as the war "in Iraq." The first apparent gaffe occurred Tuesday when Biden was courting Democratic donors at a fundraiser in Chevy Chase, Maryland. "Think about this: If anybody told you -- and my staff wasn't so sure, either -- that we'd be able to bring all of Europe together in the onslaught on Iraq and get NATO to be completely united, I think they would have told you it's not likely," Biden said. "The one thing Putin counted on was being able to split NATO." MORE: Russian military leaders were aware of Prigozhin's mutiny plan: US officials The second mistake happened Wednesday as Biden departed Washington for Chicago, where he delivered a major speech on his economic philosophy. On the South Lawn, Biden was asked about whether Russia's V...
Read more