Senior officials in the Texas Attorney General's Office have asked federal law enforcement to "investigate allegations of improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other potential crimes" by their boss, the Austin-American Statesman and KVUE-TV.
The senior staff members, including Jeff Mateer, who from his post as Paxton鈥檚 top aide this week after several years leading the agency, notified the agency鈥檚 human resources director that they sought the investigation.
鈥淲e have a good faith belief that the attorney general is violating federal and/or state law including prohibitions related to improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other potential criminal offenses,鈥� seven agency leaders wrote in a one-page obtained by the Statesman.
The brief letter, dated Oct. 1, says the officials notified law enforcement of a potential crime on Sept. 30, but does not provide detailed accusations. The officials also say they notified Paxton himself of the accusation via text message on Oct. 1.
Paxton, a second-term state official and former state legislator who serves as co-chair of the Lawyers for Trump coalition, has been under indictment for on felony charges of securities fraud. Paxton has yet to go to trial on the charges amid side battles over where the case will be heard and how much the special prosecutors appointed to take the case to trial will be paid.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general鈥檚 office said in a statement that "the complaint filed against Attorney General Paxton was done to impede an ongoing investigation into criminal wrongdoing by public officials including employees of this office. Making false claims is a very serious matter and we plan to investigate this to the fullest extent of the law.鈥�
She declined to comment further, citing an open investigation.
Michelle Lee, a public affairs officer for the FBI, declined to comment on the matter, citing internal policy within the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice not to comment on the existence of pending or potential investigations. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney for the region said "we have no comment." AG真人百家乐 County District Attorney Margaret Moore said Saturday evening "we do not have an investigation."
Paxton has faced numerous questions over his ethics over his more than a decade in public life. To help pay for his stacked team of defense attorneys, he has for his legal defense fund, claiming the contributions came from 鈥渇amily friends鈥� and are exempt from a state bribery law that bars elected officials from receiving gifts from people who are subject to their authority.
In the securities fraud charges that are still pending, Paxton is accused of convincing investors to buy stock in a technology firm without disclosing that he would be compensated for it. He has maintained his innocence and criticized the prosecution as politically motivated. In 2014, the Texas State Securities Board fined Paxton $1,000 for soliciting investment clients without being registered, and he without disputing its findings.
Last year, his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, that would have expanded her husband鈥檚 power as attorney general, giving him the power to exempt individuals from state regulations like the one he has been charged with violating.
In 2018, Paxton鈥檚 office filed 鈥� and then abruptly 鈥� a formal court brief in a lawsuit over Plano鈥檚 zoning policies, in a move that his supporters attributed to political influence from conservatives in his home county.
Paxton, a conservative who has often elbowed for airtime as the state鈥檚 top culture warrior, has kept up a busy and high-profile role during the coronavirus pandemic.
This spring, he declared that Gov. Greg Abbott鈥檚 ban on elective medical procedures, an effort to conserve hospital resources for coronavirus patients, also barred abortions in the state, sparking a lawsuit that would drag on for weeks and to terminate their pregnancies. His office to sue the state鈥檚 biggest cities if they did not roll back coronavirus-related safety precautions, including mask mandates, and they could not keep landlords from evicting their tenants during the pandemic.
Paxton to lean on a Colorado county after it shut its doors to vacation home owners 鈥� including a top donor.
Paxton has led major multi-state lawsuits to overturn laws like the Affordable Care Act and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often landing cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He鈥檚 made equally political choices in the cases he chooses not to take. His office a state agency, as it typically would, when it was sued for disciplining a state judge who refused to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. And it the Texas Ethics Commission in a lawsuit brought by the hardline conservative group Empower Texans, a political donor.
Last year, he was a major player in Texas鈥� to review its voter rolls.
Paxton often boasts of his close relationship with the president, frequently greeting him on the tarmac when Air Force One touches down in Texas, and sharing stories during public appearances about their communication on major Texas-led litigation 鈥� the time Trump called while Paxton was in the shower is a favorite.
In 2018, Paxton narrowly bested his Democratic opponent, Justin Nelson, to win reelection in an unexpectedly tight race. Nelson had made Paxton鈥檚 indictments the centerpiece of his campaign.
鈥淜en Paxton is the top law enforcement official in the state,鈥� Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement Saturday. 鈥淵et, he has proven for years that he cannot follow the law himself.鈥�
The offices of Abbott, Lt. Gov. k and House Speaker did not immediately return requests for comment.
Abby Livingston contributed reporting.
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