In his eight years as Texas’ attorney general, Ken Paxton has always leaned far to the right. A Trump stooge, he subscribes to all the deplorable beliefs: He’s against trans people and immigrants, and last year he gleefully celebrated the dismantling of Roe v Wade. On Saturday he was impeached. The state’s House had enough of Paxton’s alleged corruption, which involves seeking favors for his possible mistress. Now his fate is in the hands of his wife.
As per Texas Tribune, the vote to expel Paxton from office moves to the Senate. It’s likely that he’ll get a pass; the chamber leans aggressively Republican. What’s more, one of its members is Angela Paxton, who has stayed by her husband’s side through thick and thin.
And things have sure been thick. At the center of Ken Paxton’s scandal is his dealings with real estate investor Nate Paul. Ken is alleged to have used his office to help Paul out in exchange for remodeling his house and getting his mistress, a former aide, a job. Ken acknowledged the extramarital affair in 2018 but claimed it had ended. After the bribery allegations surfaced, several senior members of Ken’s staff either resigned or were fired. Some of the latter sued him.
If the alleged affair and corruption charges have left Angela shaken, she hasn’t shown it publicly. As per the Tribune:
But in the public eye, at least, these incidents didn’t weaken the Paxton power couple. When they were both up for reelection, they campaigned together and celebrated another year of marriage at the polls.
“Nothing says romance like voting for each other on your anniversary!” Angela Paxton tweeted, tagging her husband. “It’s an honor to serve the State of Texas with you, but most importantly to follow Christ together.”
Last year, when Ken faced an abortion-related lawsuit, Angela even drove the getaway car, leaving the process server in the lurch.
It may seem likely that Angela will either recuse herself from the vote or vote for her husband. It may be the latter; after all, she didn’t recuse herself when voting on the state’s budget, which determines her husband’s salary. But who knows? Maybe this is her chance to take revenge on being cuckqueened.
(Via Texas Tribune)