Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pursued perks beyond impeachment allegations, ex-staffers say
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pursued perks beyond impeachment allegations, ex-staffers say
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's accusers say impeachment charges don't tell the full story of how the three-term Republican reaped the benefits of elected office.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Unexplained Caribbean and European trips that cost taxpayers more than $90,000. A $600 sports coat paid for by an event organizer. A $45 office Christmas cake taken as his own.
These are among the perks that Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s former employees say he reveled in while using his office in ways that now have him facing a federal criminal investigation and potential ouster over allegations of corruption.
Around Christmas for years, Texas grocery giant H-E-B sent a coconut-dusted cake to the attorney general’s office, which staff shared.
That changed after Paxton was elected, according to three former employees of his executive office who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.
One said Paxton once told staff not to touch the cake because it was for his birthday, which is on Dec. 23. Another said Paxton once had the cake brought to a Tex-Mex restaurant for a staff lunch but never served it. The third recalled watching Paxton and an aide walk out of the office carrying the cake box.
According to required gift logs kept by Paxton’s office, the cake was worth $45.
Stealing a cake from your staff is the surest sign (to me) that you're a greedy piece of shit. It also causes me to suspect that all accusations of corruption are absolutely true (though tbf, I already thought this was likely the case).
Paxton entered the office of the chief law enforcer of Texas under felony securities fraud indictment (which he has used his office to delay trial for 5 years).
Hes charged with actually pretty venal bribery (including the man bribing him giving a job to Paxtons mistress and enabling burner phones to see and talk to her)
Why should anything else surprise us.
Impeachment allegations are a perk?
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