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Sep 11, 2023 · Attorney General Ken Paxton’s alleged extramarital affair came up for the first time at length Monday in his impeachment trial.. Katherine “Missy” Cary, the former chief of staff in the ...
Sep 5, 2023 · With Ken Paxton's impeachment trial set to start today, the Texas Attorney General's affair with a woman he tried to help get a job with real estate developer Nate Paul is increasingly under scrutiny.
- Giulia Carbonaro
- 1 min
- Overview
- What does the alleged affair have to do with Paxton's impeachment?
- What has been said so far about the alleged affair?
Ken Paxton impeachment trial continues for 7th day 04:04
Austin, Texas — The woman who allegedly had an extramarital affair with Attorney General Ken Paxton was called Wednesday to testify at his impeachment trial, but did not end up taking the stand after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said both sides had agreed that she had been deemed "unavailable to testify."
Lawyers for the state called Laura Olson to the stand Wednesday morning, but Patrick said she had been called as a witness shortly before 4 p.m. CT Tuesday, and the rules governing impeachment trials require that a witness be given 24 hours' notice. Patrick then said she could be called after 3:53 p.m. CT.
After the senators returned from a break around 4:45 p.m. CT, Patrick gave a short statement that he said had been agreed upon by both sides, saying that although Olson was present, she had been deemed "unavailable to testify."
Shortly after the statement, the House impeachment managers rested their case. The defense still has a chance to call its own witnesses. After the defense rests, both sides will have one hour to give closing arguments before the case goes to the jurors — the state Senators — for deliberations.
After the House impeachment managers rested their case, Paxton posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he is headed to Maine next week to "sit down" with Tucker Carlson and "discuss the last two weeks in Texas politics."
While having an affair is not one of the charges of impeachment, one of the counts includes an allegation that Paxton engaged in bribery, violating Article 16 of the Texas Constitution, when he benefited from Austin real estate developer Nate Paul's decision to employ a woman "with whom Paxton was having an extramarital affair."
"Paul received favorable legal assistance from, or specialized access to, the office of the attorney general," the impeachment article said.
Paxton's wife, Angela Paxton, is a state senator and has been present every day for the trial. She has been barred from acting as a juror, but she still counts as a member of the state Senate, meaning that 21 senators must vote to convict him to reach the threshold for removal. If Paxton is convicted by two-thirds of the state senate on any of the 16 articles of impeachment, he will be removed from office and could face a lifetime ban from holding public office.
Olson is a former aide to state Sen. Donna Campbell, a Republican from a district north of San Antonio, who will be voting in the trial.
According to testimony from earlier witnesses, the attorney general's office became aware of Paxton's alleged affair in 2018. Paxton's former top aide, Jeff Mateer, testified last week that he believed it is "relevant" to the accusations in the articles of impeachment.
Mateer testified that in 2018, Ken Paxton revealed the affair in a meeting with senior campaign staff and the staff of the attorney general's office. Angela Paxton helped organize and attended the meeting, according to Mateer. He said Ken Paxton "asked for forgiveness" and described him as "emotional and sympathetic."
Mateer said he believed that Ken Paxton had "repented," and he assumed that the affair was over. When he learned the alleged affair had resumed, he said it "answered one of the questions I kept struggling with."
"Why would General Paxton jeopardize all this great work that we've been doing in the Office of the Attorney General," Mateer continued. "Why would he be engaged in these activities on behalf of one person, all these different things?"
Paxton's former chief of staff, Katherine "Missy" Cary, testified Monday that she warned Paxton in 2018 that an affair "can open one up to bribery and misuse of office, misuse of state time," which are among the impeachment counts. Cary said the alleged affair affected morale in the office — especially since Angela Paxton had at one point been calling and asking about his schedule, which made staffers "uncomfortable."
Cary had run into Paxton one day at lunch with the woman with whom he allegedly had an affair — who Paxton had said was his realtor — and testified that she confronted Paxton in the summer of 2018. He confirmed he was having an extramarital affair, she testified, and she said he was "contrite" and "listened to what I had to say very carefully" about the "ethical implications" of having an affair.
- caroline.linton@paramount.com
- CBS News
- Senior Editor, Digital Politics
Nov 5, 2020 · By Jake Bleiberg. Published 4:39 PM PDT, November 5, 2020. DALLAS (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had an extramarital affair with a woman whom he later recommended for a job with the wealthy donor now at the center of criminal allegations against him, according to two people who said Paxton told them about the relationship.
- jbleiberg@ap.org
Nov 6, 2020 · November 5, 2020 / 6:08 PM CST / CBS Texas. — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had an extramarital affair with a woman whom he later recommended for a job with the wealthy donor now at the ...
Sep 11, 2023 · AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — One of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ‘s former staffers testified Monday that the Republican’s extramarital affair took a toll on employees who had to work long and odd hours because of the secret relationship that is now a factor in his impeachment trial.
Sep 4, 2023 · “The affair is important because it goes to Ken Paxton's political strength,” Rep. Ann Johnson, a Houston Democrat who serves on the committee that investigated Paxton, said in May.
