Just days before his impeachment trial over a variety of accusations, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — along with his loyal supporters — spoke at a Labor Day Picnic in Collin County.
Along with Paxton, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and state Sen. Angela Paxton also spoke at the event. County Sheriff Jim Skinner was also billed to speak at the picnic but did not.
“Today I would love to talk about what’s coming up for me in the next couple weeks,” Paxton said. “I have a gag order on me so I can't talk about that.”
The Collin County chapter of the GOP that hosted the event had to close registration for the picnic three days ahead due to selling out. Supporters dressed in red, white and blue, sported “Make America Great Again” hats and wore Paxton campaign stickers.
“I think a lot of people are here because of him,” Collin County GOP Chairman Abraham George said.
“They want to talk to him and see him … this is like his first and probably the only public appearance in between the trial and the impeachment. So, we're all excited,” George said.
Barbara Issacs, a Collin County organizer, said Paxton’s supporters are headed to Austin.
“I have chartered a bus to bring a group of pastors and patriots to Austin on Tuesday,” Isaacs said. “So that we can show our support. We’re going to pray over the Capitol and we’re also going to pray over Ken Paxton’s hearing.”
Isaacs says she believes the trial is “another witch hunt” and that Paxton is being “railroaded” by state officials.
But none of the speakers mentioned the impeachment trial except Paxton. And he gave no concrete details. Much of Miller’s speech focused on his previous work as Texas agriculture commissioner, how many votes he secured in the last election – and his fears over domestic interference from China.
State Sen. Angela Paxton — who is married to the now suspended attorney general — used her platform to voice outrage over the pornography industry, abortion laws and the southern border. She also announced her re-election campaign.
“We are looking at missing children, we’re looking at deadly Fentanyl that the cartels are profiting on by killing our children,” Sen. Paxton said. “We’re looking at trafficking of women and children – many of them by the porn industry.”
Sen. Paxton also alluded to her husband’s public issues, before welcoming him to speak at the picnic.
“I don’t know that there’s really anyone, that I know, that has more experience with having a target on their back,” Angela Paxton said, introducing her husband to the speaker’s platform. “But more importantly, experience in successfully overcoming having a target on their back.”
Paxton spoke about his concerns over what he believes is a failure of legislature leadership. He used legislation aimed at addressing voter fraud as one of the issues he believes is not being properly taken care of by current leadership – including Republican officials.
“We have to take responsibility for our own party,” Paxton said. “For the people that we elect, who sit there and tell us one thing.”
Paxton has been at the center of controversy in Texas politics since late May when a Republican-led Texas House issued 20 articles of impeachment over allegations ranging from securities fraud to helping interfere with an investigation into campaign donations.
Some members of the House General Investigating Committee say they received calls from Paxton threatening political retribution.
Multiple Republican lawmakers voted to impeach Paxton, despite his seemingly strong grasp on his party in Texas. In August, Senate leaders published nearly 4,000 pages of documents submitted as part of the impeachment investigation.
According to the investigation, Paxton attempted to use his office to shield Nate Paul — a real estate investor and close friend of Paxton — from charges related to lying to financial lending institutions.
Paxton asked David Maxwell, the former director of the Criminal Law Enforcement for the Office of the Attorney General, to investigate Paul.
According to the investigation documents, Maxwell told House investigators that he knew at the time what Paxton was asking him to do was “not legal and was not right.”
Paxton’s trial is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sept. 5.
Editor's note: This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
The Texas Newsroom's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán contributed to this story.
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