Texas Republicans are at odds over their party attorney general’s impeachment trial, according to strategists. Their disagreement reveals varying ideological viewpoints.
Ken Paxton is revered by Texas conservatives for his legal battles against President Barack Obama’s administration, but allegations of bribery and infidelity at his impeachment trial could cast a shadow over future general elections.
President Trump Backs Rivals of GOP Members Who Voted for Paxton Impeachment
Paxton has made significant inroads into the far right wing of his party on cultural issues that divide Americans, taking positions similar to Trump on issues such as supporting capital punishment and restricting abortion rights. Last year Paxton successfully held off George P Bush – son of two former Presidents! – who challenged for his third term seat.
But the trial has revealed deep divisions among Texas Republicans. A UT/TxPP poll conducted before the impeachment trial began revealed that those with no or little knowledge about the impeachment case were far more likely to believe it justified than those who had heard plenty about the proceedings.
The outcome of Ken Paxton’s trial could widen these fissures within Texas GOP, casting him as an evil individual who must go. On Saturday morning, Trump released a series of tweets endorsing candidates challenging those lawmakers who voted in May for Paxton’s impeachment trial; Trump claimed they had been “cheated” out of due process by lobbyists and donors seeking to benefit from laws passed during his term as attorney general; “today’s vote was orchestrated from its inception to deny him due process,” he concluded.
President Trump Backs Defend Texas Liberty PAC
Defend Texas Liberty PAC has pledged to use its funds to unseat state senators who voted against Paxton’s impeachment, such as Bedford state Rep Jonathan Stickland who owns Pale Horse Strategies consulting firm and has hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes who praised Adolf Hitler and called for a holy war against Jews. After The Texas Tribune revealed Stickland had spent nearly an entire day at his office with Fuentes, Stickland was forced out as president and longtime conservative consultant Luke Macias took his place as president Def End Texas Liberty’s leader.
Defend Texas Liberty is funded by West Texas oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks as well as other wealthy donors, who use their fortune to spread their views through campaigns, institutions, and dark money groups such as this group.
Polls indicate Paxton’s approval ratings have rebounded since his impeachment trial, yet his road ahead remains challenging. A 2015 securities fraud indictment and an FBI criminal investigation remain outstanding, while his campaign opponents the Defend Texas Liberty campaign are targeting state lawmakers who voted to impeach him by posting billboards criticizing their vote and funding potential primary challengers. Furthermore, according to Texans for Lawsuit Reform he has already been sued more than 12 times throughout his career and may face another suit alleging abuse of his office – making his path far from easy!
President Trump Backs Brent Hagenbuch
Brent Hagenbuch, former Chair of Denton County Republican Party is considered a favorite to win an open state Senate seat in District 30. He has received endorsements from Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and former Gov. Rick Perry; two other Republicans (Jace Yarbrough and Cody Clark) are running in addition to him but according to one judge’s ruling his legal challenge could continue beyond primary elections.
Carrie de Moor, one of Hagenbuch’s opponents, filed a lawsuit in Denton County District Court alleging that Hagenbuch does not reside within its boundaries, which include parts of Denton, Muenster and other North Texas counties. The judge made his ruling after reviewing de Moor’s evidence.
Hagenbuch’s lawyers argued that he established residency in the district by living at Titus Transport’s building in Little Elm where his trucking company is housed, signing a corporate apartment sublease there in early October as per their filing.
On Monday, The Tribune visited Hagenbuch’s building and found it mostly empty with Titus Transport’s name printed smaller at the top of its sign. A woman at the front desk informed us that Hagenbuch does not live there, despite past claims to the contrary from him and his campaign attorney; nonetheless, Hagenbuch insists on living within District 3. A lawyer from his campaign stated they intend to continue fighting this case in court.
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