WATCH: Day 3 of the Ken Paxton Impeachment Trial

Proceedings in suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial are expected to begin at 9 a.m. You can watch them here.

Ryan Bangert, deputy first assistant to the attorney general, continued his meticulous testimony detailing his increasing alarm with how Ken Paxton was using the office to benefit his political donor Nate Paul throughout 2020. Bangert ultimately concluded there was nothing more he could do but report the behavior to law enforcement.

“I was deeply concerned that the name, authority and power of our office had been, in my view, hijacked to serve the interests of an individual against the interests of the broader public,” Bangert testified. “...It was unconscionable.”

In June 2020, Bangert recalled, he and Ken Paxton met Nate Paul at his office, got in his car and drove with Paul to Polvos, a Mexican restaurant in downtown Austin. There, Paul shared a laundry list of grievances related to his belief that he was being unfairly targeted by federal and state law enforcement, and a charity that had sued Paul, the Mitte Foundation.

Bangert walked the jury through the summer and fall, as he and other senior staff learned Paxton hired outside counsel to investigate law enforcement who had an open investigation into Paul’s businesses. Bangert said he and other senior staff pushed back against the idea to hire outside counsel, but were unsuccessful.

During questioning, House impeachment lawyer Rusty Hardin posed to Bangert many of the arguments that Buzbee used the previous day to try and poke holes in Mateer’s testimony, such as why the whistleblowers didn’t go directly to Paxton to express their concerns with his behavior. But Bangert said there was “no question that he was well aware of our objections” that had been lodged “repeatedly” and “in various ways” for months.

Bangert also rejected an allegation Paxton’s lawyer Tony Buzbee posited to Mateer on Wednesday that they were staging a “coup” in the attorney general’s office.

“It was not a mutiny,” he said. “We were protecting the interests of the state and ultimately, I believe, protecting the interests of the attorney general and, in my view, signing our professional death warrant. We understood the gravity of that act."

– Kate McGee and Robert Downen

Former deputy first assistant AG Ryan Bangert testifies in Paxton’s impeachment trial: “I was deeply concerned that the name and authority and power of our office had been, in my view, hijacked to serve the interests of an individual against the interests of the broader public.” pic.twitter.com/NmvNkr5Yye

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 7, 2023

Throughout his cross examination of Jeff Mateer yesterday, Paxton lawyer Tony Buzbee repeatedly mentioned the “second referral” the Travis County District Attorney’s Office made of a Nate Paul complaint.

What was he talking about?

Paul filed two complaints with Travis County prosecutors. The first, filed in June 2020, alleged that Paul had been mistreated by law enforcement officials who authorized and executed a raid on his home and business in August 2019. After prosecutors referred it to the attorney general’s office, which they later told investigators they did as a courtesy to Paxton, Paul and his lawyer met with senior agency officials, who concluded the complaint lacked merit.

Paul’s second complaint to Travis County, in September 2020, alleged he was the victim of awide-ranging conspiracy by business rivals, a court-appointed lawyer and a federal judge to steal his properties. The district attorney’s office referred the complaint directly to Brandon Cammack, the outside counsel Paxton had hired to assist Paul. Therefore, Mateer and other senior advisers did not know it existed until after they reported concerns about Paxton’s behavior to the FBI.

Buzbee argued that Mateer was reckless and misinformed when he spoke with federal agents. If Mateer had known about the second referral, Buzbee reasoned, he would have known that Cammack’s inquiry was legitimate, as were the subpoenas he issued to banks that had lent money to Paul’s businesses.

What Buzbee did not mention, however, was that no evidence has emerged, in the impeachment trial or any other forum, supporting the second complaint, which Paul code named “Operation Tarrytown.” And House exhibits reveal that Paul and his lawyer haddirected Cammack on how to conduct the probe, including by identifying investigative targets and writing the subpoenas, which he called “Operation Deep Sea.”

– Zach Despart

This is an excerpt from The Blast, our paid newsletter aimed at equipping civically-engaged Texans with insider information about Texas politics. Lead writer Renzo Downey is bringing exclusive daily non-partisan analysis and commentary about the impeachment trial for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. Subscribe today.

While he faces the trial of his political life, impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing to his financial supporters to help fund his campaign.

“With your help, I can be back in office by the end of the month,” Paxton wrote in a fundraising email sent out today.

It’s important to note that Paxton is allowed to pay for his counsel with his campaign funds. In this case, Paxton is being represented by Tony Buzbee, Dan Cogdell and Stone Hilton PLLC — a new firm rushed into reality by OAG employees who are on leave to defend Paxton.

In the words of Buzbee: “There are no coincidences in Austin.”

During Buzbee’s cross-examination of Jeff Mateer today, Mateer and Buzbee discussed the hourly rates of outside counsel. Buzbee then recognized that the “world-class lawyers” for the House managers, Rusty Hardin and Dick DeGuerin, are getting $500 an hour.

“What’s your rate?” Mateer asked Buzbee.

“Well, you’ll find out soon enough,” he responded.

Near the end of the day, Buzbee tagged out to other counsel on Team Paxton while Hardin questioned the prosecution’s next witness, Ryan Bangert. Buzbee was sitting next to “Eric,” scrolling on his phone. During the questioning, an Instagram story by Buzbee’s wife appeared on his own story, offering a reminder that Buzbee is running for Houston City Council.

“Out delivering @tonybuzbee for City Council District G signs today! If you live in district G and would like one… message me and we will get one to you!!!”

This was an excerpt from the Sept. 6 edition of The Blast. Read the entire issue for free and subscribe today for future editions.

Ken Paxton’s attorney Tony Buzbee began Thursday with a peculiar accusation: That the media has been doctoring photos to make him appear more “tan.”

In a post to his Instagram, Buzbee posted photos from “two different reputable news organizations” that he said show him with dramatically different skin colors. One of the photos appears to be a screenshot from a livestream of the Senate trial.

“I am out in the sun a lot, but I don’t think my skin has ever been that ‘tan,’” Buzbee wrote. “Why would they doctor my pic? I’m sure you could take a guess. So you think the news isn’t bias? Think again.”

– Robert Downen

Day three of Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial will resume at 9 a.m. with more testimony from Ryan Bangert, former deputy first assistant attorney general and one of the seven whistleblowers who reported Paxton’s allegedly illegal behavior to federal authorities in 2020.

Bangert gave crisp, direct testimony on Wednesday afternoon detailing how Ken Paxton repeatedly asked him to intervene on issues related to his political donor, Nate Paul. Bangert described Paxton’s behavior as “bizarre,” and alarming.

Much of the testimony focused on Paxton’s demands that Bangert write an attorney general opinion that would prohibit in-person home foreclosure sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, an opinion that countered the office’s and state government’s decisions to reopen the state.

“He was acting like a man with a gun to his head,” Bangert stated. “Anxious, desperate, urging me to get this [opinion] out as quickly as humanly possible.”

Bangert is a bona fide conservative who belongs to the conservative Federalist Society and at one point worked under Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley when he was that state’s attorney general, before coming back to Texas to serve in Paxton’s office.

After House lawyer Rusty Hardin finishes his questioning, Bangert will face cross-examination from Patxon’s defense team.

On Wednesday, Paxton lawyer Tony Buzbee led a long, meandering cross-examination of the prosecution’s first witness, Jeff Mateer. He attempted to paint him as a rogue employee who staged a “coup” of the attorney general’s office, an accusation Mateer vehemently denied.

Paxton has not appeared on the Senate floor since Buzbee pleaded not-guilty on his behalf Tuesday.

— Kate McGee

As the Ken Paxton impeachment trial continued early Wednesday evening, Paxton sent a fundraising email to supporters, telling them that “with your help, I can be back in office by the end of the month.”

In the lengthy email published on social media by a Dallas Morning News reporter, Paxton touted his role in pushing back against President Joe Biden’s policies and cited “crucial victories” against “Big Tech tyranny and deceitful business practices.”

“I will NEVER SURRENDER,” he added before asking supporters if they can spare $50 “to help me stand strong.”

The fundraising email came hours after Paxton attorney Tony Buzbee again demurred on questions about the financing of the suspended attorney general’s defense. After Buzbee mentioned that lead prosecutors Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin were being paid $500 an hour for their services, witness Jeff Mateer asked Buzbee about his own rate.

"You'll find out soon enough,” Buzbee responded.

— Robert Downen

Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings were dominated by testimony from Jeff Mateer, the former second-in-command to suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. He told senators that Paxton’s relationship with real estate investor Nate Paul was alarming.

Among the actions that concerned him: Paxton’s insistence that the agency write a midnight opinion that declared foreclosure auctions unsafe because of COVID-19, which Paul used days later to stave off the sales of numerous properties he owned.

Mateer said a turning point came when he learned that Paxton had resumed an extramarital affair with a woman who was hired at Paul’s company in mid-2020.

[Who’s who in the Ken Paxton impeachment trial, from key participants to potential witnesses]

Mateer said he finally understood why the attorney general had fought so hard, and risked so much, to help Paul — including hiring an outside attorney to investigate Paul’s business rivals.

During cross examination, Paxton’s lead attorney Tony Buzbee accused Mateer of “staging a coup” against Paxton.

In a meandering, hours-long cross examination, Buzbee often jumped from one line of questioning to the other as he insinuated that Mateer and other senior staff were colluding against Paxton by meeting with the governor and lobbyists from the group Texans for Lawsuit Reform and by moving to have the attorney general’s office hire an outside lawyer before approaching the FBI about Paxton’s relationship with Paxton donor and friend Nate Paul.

“You were involved in staging a coup, weren’t you?” Buzbee asked.

“Absolutely not,” Mateer responded.

Proceedings in suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial are expected to begin at 9 a.m. You can watch them here.

As the Ken Paxton impeachment trial continued early Wednesday evening, Paxton sent a fundraising email to supporters, telling them that “with your help, I can be back in office by the end of the month.”

In the lengthy email published on social media by a Dallas Morning News reporter, Paxton touted his role in pushing back against President Joe Biden’s policies and cited “crucial victories” against “Big Tech tyranny and deceitful business practices.”

“I will NEVER SURRENDER,” he added before asking supporters if they can spare $50 “to help me stand strong.”

The fundraising email came hours after Paxton attorney Tony Buzbee again demurred on questions about the financing of the suspended attorney general’s defense. After Buzbee mentioned that lead prosecutors Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin were being paid $500 an hour for their services, witness Jeff Mateer asked Buzbee about his own rate.

"You'll find out soon enough,” Buzbee responded.

— Robert Downen

Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings were dominated by testimony from Jeff Mateer, the former second-in-command to suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. He told senators that Paxton’s relationship with real estate investor Nate Paul was alarming.

Among the actions that concerned him: Paxton’s insistence that the agency write a midnight opinion that declared foreclosure auctions unsafe because of COVID-19, which Paul used days later to stave off the sales of numerous properties he owned.

Mateer said a turning point came when he learned that Paxton had resumed an extramarital affair with a woman who was hired at Paul’s company in mid-2020.

[Who’s who in the Ken Paxton impeachment trial, from key participants to potential witnesses]

Mateer said he finally understood why the attorney general had fought so hard, and risked so much, to help Paul — including hiring an outside attorney to investigate Paul’s business rivals.

During cross examination, Paxton’s lead attorney Tony Buzbee accused Mateer of “staging a coup” against Paxton.

In a meandering, hours-long cross examination, Buzbee often jumped from one line of questioning to the other as he insinuated that Mateer and other senior staff were colluding against Paxton by meeting with the governor and lobbyists from the group Texans for Lawsuit Reform and by moving to have the attorney general’s office hire an outside lawyer before approaching the FBI about Paxton’s relationship with Paxton donor and friend Nate Paul.

“You were involved in staging a coup, weren’t you?” Buzbee asked.

“Absolutely not,” Mateer responded.

Proceedings in suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial are expected to continue at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. You can watch them here.

Jeff Mateer, the former second-in-command under suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, testified Wednesday that Paxton’s relationship with real estate investor Nate Paul was so alarming that Mateer was concerned the attorney general was being blackmailed.

Mateer said a turning point came when he learned that Paxton had resumed an extramarital affair with a woman who was hired at Paul’s company in mid-2020. Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, had alerted senior staff in 2018 about his infidelity, Mateer said, adding that the attorney general was repentant and had recommitted to his marriage.

[Who’s who in the Ken Paxton impeachment trial, from key participants to potential witnesses]

When he learned that Ken Paxton had resumed the affair, Mateer said, he finally understood why the attorney general had fought so hard, and risked so much, to help Paul — including hiring an outside attorney to investigate Paul’s business rivals.

“It answered the question, ‘Why is he engaging in all these activities on behalf of Mr. Paul?’“ Mateer testified.

As Mateer testified, Angela Paxton appeared attentive, taking notes as Mateer shared his knowledge of her husband’s extramarital affair.

Mateer was one of several top deputies who reported Paxton to the FBI for alleged bribery in late September 2020. In his testimony, he recounted a monthslong, deeply concerning pattern of behavior by Paxton when it came to Paul. Among the actions that alarmed him: Paxton’s insistence that the agency write a midnight opinion that declared foreclosure auctions unsafe because of COVID-19, which Paul used days later to stave off the sales of numerous properties he owned.

“I concluded that Mr. Paxton was engaged in conduct that was immoral, unethical, and I had the good faith belief that it was illegal,” Mateer testified.

He also said that he and other top deputies repeatedly tried to protect and help Paxton, and implored him to “come clean” about any wrongdoing.

“We couldn't protect him, because he didn't want to be protected," Mateer said.

— Robert Downen

As the Senate gaveled in for a second day of impeachment proceedings, the man at the center of the trial, Ken Paxton, was again absent.

The suspended attorney general was present Tuesday while his lawyer, Tony Buzbee, pleaded not guilty on his behalf. But Paxton did not return after the lunch break as lawyers for the House impeachment managers called their first witness.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is the presiding officer over the impeachment trial, agreed with Paxton’s attorney’s Tuesday after they argued the rules did not stipulate Paxton must be present beyond entering a plea.

— Kate McGee

Proceedings in suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial are expected to begin at 9 a.m. You can watch them here.

The first day of Ken Paxton's impeachment trial included a series of highly anticipated votes, including multiple bids to dismiss every article of impeachment. The motions were soundly defeated. But Paxton's attorneys succeeded in another key early decision when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, acting in his role as trial judge, ruled that the suspended attorney general could not be forced to testify during impeachment proceedings.

In opening statements, House impeachment managers accused Paxton of allowing a “slow creep of corruption” to taint his office. His lawyers fired back and disparaged the impeachment case against him as a dangerous exercise based on “ignorance, innuendo and outright lies.”

Prosecutors on Wednesday are expected to continue calling witnesses who they hope will bolster their argument that Paxton should be removed from office.

— Robert Downen and Kate McGee

Suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Texas Senate is expected to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday. You can watch the proceedings here.

The Texas House voted overwhelmingly to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton in May. The chamber, held by a Republican majority, adopted 20 articles of impeachment. The Senate, which is also controlled by the GOP, will hear evidence on 16 articles. The other four articles were put on hold.

The 16 articles accuse Paxton of bribery, dereliction of duty and disregard of official duty. Nearly 4,000 pages of evidence provide granular detail of how Paxton allegedly misused his office to help his friend Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor and campaign donor, who was being investigated by federal authorities as his businesses were floundering. Read more about the 16 articles of impeachment.

— Chuck Lindell and James Barragán

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will act as judge. Senators will serve as jurors. The trial will begin with the court clerk reading aloud 16 articles of impeachment. Paxton has been ordered to appear in person. He or his lawyer will plead guilty or not guilty to each article. Some witnesses have also been ordered to appear outside the Senate chamber at 11 a.m.

[Who’s who in the Ken Paxton impeachment trial, from key participants to potential witnesses]

Any motion to dismiss an article of impeachment must be approved by a majority of senators, or at least 16 members. Patrick can rule on any other motion, or he can ask senators to vote on a motion without debate or discussion. Permanently removing Paxton requires support from 21 of 31 senators. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, will not vote.

The House impeachment managers will offer an opening statement first. Paxton's lawyers can make a statement immediately afterward or wait until they begin presenting evidence. Each side has a total of 24 hours to present witnesses and evidence and cross-examine the opposition’s witnesses. After both sides present their evidence, each side will have one hour to present rebuttal evidence. Witnesses will testify under oath. Read more about how the trial will work.

— Yuriko Schumacher and James Barragán

Much of the trial is expected to center on Ken Paxton’s alleged infidelity. Sordid details about his life could be publicly aired during the proceedings. House impeachment managers argue that Paxton was driven by his desire to continue and conceal the tryst and went to great lengths to hide the affair from his wife — and from the deeply religious voters who have sustained his political life for two decades. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, will sit as part of the impeachment trial court, but will not vote or deliberate.

— Robert Downen and Zach Despart

Ken Paxton’s relationship with Austin real estate investor Nate Paul, a political donor to the suspended attorney general, is expected to be a central focus of the impeachment trial. Paxton is accused of misusing his office to help Paul in return for free home renovations and the investor’s help covering up the attorney general’s extramarital affair. Earlier this year, Paul was charged with eight felony counts of making false statements to financial institutions.

The House impeachment managers allege Paxton hired a lawyer to carry out Paul’s bidding — allowing him to use the attorney general’s office as his “concierge law firm,” and harness its investigative powers to harass business rivals and other perceived enemies.

— Zach Despart