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Sep 12, 2023 · Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, sat in on her husband's trial from the start but will have zero say in the verdict.
- Pilar Arias
- 2 min
- Overview
- Did Angela Paxton know about the alleged affair?
- Who is Angela Paxton?
- What happens now with Ken Paxton's impeachment trial — and will Angela Paxton recuse herself?
After the Texas House of Representatives voted last week to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton for alleged bribery, obstruction of justice and abuse of office, the senate must now serve as jury in his impeachment trial —and among the senators who will decide the fate of the attorney general is his wife, Angela Paxton.
Ken Paxton has been suspended after being accused, among other things, of using his position to secure a job for a woman with whom he was having an affair. The state's Constitution says that all senators must now serve as jurors in his trial, putting Angela Paxton at the center of the state's political storm.
Rep. Andrew Murr, the head of the House committee that was investigating Paxton, did not answer reporters' questions on Monday if Angela Paxton would recuse herself from the vote, which could remove the attorney general from office, and she did not return a request for comment.
Ken Paxton denies the allegations. Over the weekend he posted photos on social media with some of his children and grandchildren, writing "there's nothing better than a weekend spent with loved ones." What does Ken Paxton's alleged affair have to do with the impeachment?
Many of the allegations against Paxton stem from his relationship with Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, a campaign donor. According to the House Investigating Committee, the attorney general misused his office to help Paul with a fraud lawsuit, against the advice of his deputy attorney general.
In return, the articles of impeachment against Paxton allege Paul rewarded Paxton with a home remodeling and that he "benefited from Nate Paul's employment of a woman with whom Paxton was having an extramarital affair."
Epley said Angela Paxton found out about the affair in 2019.
"The affair was not public," Epley said last week. "There was a desire to keep it private, according to these interviews, and the interviews establish that now-Senator Angela Paxton learned of the affair in 2019, that the affair ended briefly, but then it resumed and was underway again by 2020."
According to her website, Angela Paxton was adopted as a child and became the first person in her family to attend college. She and Ken Paxton met as students at Baylor University and they married in 1986.
According to the Texas Tribune, she considers June 1 "I love you day," or the anniversary of the first time Ken told her he loved her.
Angela and Ken Paxton have four adult children and three grandchildren.
Angela Paxton was a math teacher and school counselor before she successfully ran for her husband's former state senate seat in 2018, representing the Dallas suburbs. The district had gone for former President Donald Trump for more than 9 points in 2016, but she won by barely 2 points in 2018, according to the Texas Tribune, although the Texas GOP lost 12 House seats in that election and lost their supermajority in the state Senate.
On the campaign trail, she was known for singing a song that included the lyrics: "I'm a pistol-packing mama whose husband sues Obama."
According to an affidavit from 2022, Angela Paxton drove her husband out of state to avoid being issued a subpoena.
Although Republicans hold a 86-64 majority in the Texas House, the chamber voted overwhelmingly to impeach Paxton, 122-23, with one Republican and one Democrat voting present.
Republicans hold a 19-12 majority in the state Senate, and removal from office requires two-thirds of the chamber.
On Monday, the Texas House appointed 12 impeachment managers, who will present the government's case against Paxton. The Senate trial will begin no later than Aug. 28, Murr said Monday.
When asked by CBS News Texas' Jack Fink if Angela Paxton will recuse herself, Murr, one of the impeachment managers, replied: "I don't have a comment on that at this time."
- caroline.linton@paramount.com
- CBS News
- Senior Editor, Digital Politics
Sep 12, 2023 · One of the questions that hangs over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial is an extramarital affair will matter. How an extramarital affair factors into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial | AP News
Sep 6, 2023 · Ken Paxton's wife Angela attends his impeachment trial as witness says his alleged affair is "relevant" By Caroline Linton Updated on: September 12, 2023 / 1:29 PM EDT / CBS News
- caroline.linton@paramount.com
- 6 min
Sep 11, 2023 · Suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s alleged affair is at the center of the allegations against him in the articles of impeachment that are before state senators, including his wife....
Sep 13, 2023 · AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A woman with whom Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is said to have had an extramarital affair was expected to give public testimony Wednesday, setting up a dramatic...
Sep 6, 2023 · AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An extramarital affair Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had with a donor’s employee helped connect the dots about why the Republican was using his power in ways that are now at the center of his impeachment trial on accusations of corruption, a former top aide testified Wednesday.
