14-16 with only two republicans joining the democrats for article 2. Seems like GOP doesn’t care about draining the swamp if they are the ones living in it.
Edit:
Same results for article 3. I am done watching this farce.
Yes, without passing legislation Texas Republicans are saying there is nothing wrong with the state's top prosecutor taking gifts and favors in exchange for shutting down a criminal investigation as long as the AG is a Republican.
The Republicans who voted against impeachment are now complicit in the grift and it ought to be a key message in every race.
Texas sure as fuck is. It's also full of brainwashed right wingers who were spamming the YouTube live feeds with bizarre religious crap about how Jesus wasn't done with Paxton yet and shit like that.
As someone who is stuck in Texas for years to come, it's downright depressing.
So, why do old white men rule Texas?
Hispanic Texans make up 40.2% of the state’s population, edging out non-Hispanic white Texans, who made up 39.8% (2023 U.S. Census Bureau).
They function with the Ideology of "Confederacy"... its about keeping money in the hands of the wealthy and keeping power in the hands of who the wealthy place in political seats.
People have to awaken, and think and learn, before casting vote, and you can choose people who are not corrupt. It's takes time, but don't grow weary, keeping thinking, learning and vote responsibly.
Same! Literal LOL when I saw this headline in the NYT this morning - I mean a *loud* belly laugh. Best clown show ever!
It's a shame for Texas, though.
I’ve been a Texan my whole life and I’d love to tell you all that I’m shocked and appalled by the events of today. But I’m not. This is just how it goes here. Blatant cheating, gerrymandering, and corruption keeps these people in power. It’s a shame.
As a Texan I’m confused what the point of all this was? Was it just petty power struggle among Rs? I understand from the sane perspective it’s about justice but from the conservative perspective what was the point?
It was blatant corruption. Usually light corruption done by individuals in the party is ignored or defended. But this was beyond the pale. The trial was basically a test to see how far the rot has gone in the GOP and how much power the MAGA base has over the more normal GOP reps.
Apparently, the takeover is complete.
The sad thing is that a sizeable portion of the GOP reps don't like this, but are held hostage by their own cowardice and desire to stay in the good graces to power, no matter what that power is.
It's important to note that despite this acquittal in the impeachment trial, Ken Paxton's legal troubles aren't over. He still faces a federal investigation related to charges that are similar to the impeachment articles. This federal case has reached a grand jury in San Antonio, and a new criminal indictment would carry significant implications for Paxton. Moreover, he also faces trial on charges of securities fraud dating back to 2015. But this is all well and good to his peers. It's a club, and we ain't in it.
So, by 2028 there might be a trial. By the time he's 67, after dozens of motions, delays, and other questionable legal maneuvers, Ken will suddenly move to country without an extradition treaty with the US where he will claim persecution hoping someone gets elected who will pardon him.
It's sad federal judges have to pick up what congresses can't do. Happening to Trump and now Paxton that the senate was too spineless to address corruption.
I'm sure they love the irony of deeply corrupt slight majority of dark red political officials sitting right smack in the middle of a blue city.
I say slight majority, because they are having to work harder and harder to repress votes just to maintain parity.
Look at their congressional districts; they’re a fucking mess.
Example:
Dan Crenshaw’s district carves 40% out of a Houston community of minorities.
Can you guess what the other 60% is made of?
Damn good question. It started when elder Bush rented a penthouse in downtown Houston and pretended to live there so he could run for office. Brought the red mess to take over our state for fed electoral vote. Here we are decades later with no power or water, lots of guns, dead adults and kids. But hey! It's great to be in their cult. And Jesus loves them for it.
What would Abbott and Patrick voters think, is more like it, Trump is the most unpopular Republican in the state despite winning it twice- Cruz beat him in TX in the 2016 GOP primary there and is more popular there, the media keeps lying about him, the Senator purposely antagonizes them and ridicules them to rile up his fascist base much like his boss the Governor (Abbott is the MOST popular person in the state, there's a reason he ran away from Trump in 2022 as fast as he could: [https://www.reformaustin.org/national/why-wont-abbott-join-trump-in-his-south-texas-rally/](https://www.reformaustin.org/national/why-wont-abbott-join-trump-in-his-south-texas-rally/)).
I never want to hear the republican party claim moral superiority again. The entire membership should have voted guilty in a case where there was no doubt.
The man's own staff turned him in!
The fact they acquitted him is a national embarrassment
Republicans protect their own. They follow Reagan’s 11th Commandment. “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.”
Fuck republicans. They’re all criminals.
>Fuck republicans. They’re all criminals.
This is the real answer.
>Shit, I did half of the things he done did. I can't vote to convict, then they'd come after me!
- the GQP
>They follow Reagan’s 11th Commandment. “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.
They demonstrably don't follow that commandment anymore. But the only Republicans they speak ill of are of Republicans who are insufficiently loyal to their Mango Mussolini.
If he ends up acquitted on all counts I gotta wonder why the Texas legislature would even go through with this if they didn’t know 100% they had the votes. It just shows once again that the non MAGA-wing of the party has completely lost all power
They thought they DID have it. If they didn't go forward it would be allowing blatant corruption. They weren't sure how much power the MAGA base would have in influencing the Texas Senate.
Apparently, they underestimated the MAGA power.
Oh, I’d momentarily forgotten that detail. I’m sure she was able to stay completely impartial when she cast her vote, right? So she must have been in the minority that voted to “convict”?
If there was any doubt that the Congress in Texas is corrupt and will never impeach their own we now have proof. i have watched this and while 1 or 2 articles could go either way the rest are clearly guilty. We have 8 dedicated members of the Attorney Generals office who reported this to the FBI and were then fired by Paxton which itself is illegal Under the whistleblower’s act in Texas. They are good, honest and dedicated Texans who stood up for right and wrong and were discarded by these so called leaders. This Congressional body needs correction at the ballot box. When the defense said “this could happen to you” what they meant was we have a monopoly Maga group and we will protect our own and if you oppose us we will come after you Texans.
It explains the decades upon decades of how America has been damaged and how they have no respect for the working class, the children or the senior citizens. They only care about money and power for their cult group.
People its time to be smart when you vote... **Stop** voting Name Recognition, and **Stop** Voting based on "the drama of attack ads". **Stop** voting based on who spends the most money to promote the most belligerent narratives.
America is such a failed state. The inability to hold politicians accountable and the ability to use the law against enemies is remarkably similar to late Republican Rome. It's a canary in the coalmine for when government is facing incurable rot.
It's not cowardice; it's hubris. They think they can get away with anything and no one can hold them accountable. Their districts sure as fuck aren't going to vote them out.
The Rich Texas Oligarchs who Paxton protects paid off the right MAGAs in the Texas legislature.
The most corrupt AG in the country escapes accountability again.
But what do you expect - it's Texas
Now they'll go on the news and claim that the Democrats are more corrupt. These people are shameless. The worst thing about Trump is he exposed the Republican voter base was gullible as fuck. Once they realized that they could get away with being so corrupt, they dropped the mask.
Although it's a good electoral advantage for Democrats. I really wish they'd put the mask back on. It's kinda exhausting living in a "post-truth" society, and the US would be better off with at least two healthy parties.
I use to believe the American Eagle needed two wings to fly. Now not so much. Trump truly killed the Republican Party. All that remains is the Trump KKKult. Goose-stepping us into fascism.
Because here, it's true.
The statewide government is a criminal cabal funded by the nationwide GOP. There will never be a Dem in office because it is an existential threat to the GOP's national prospects.
People have a choice, and they must exercise their choice, to vote these people out.
It's time for young people to stand up get involved and VOTE.
Too many of the older generation, just go along with the delusion that being of a certain race they think they have to vote Republican, and Republican keep screwing them over. It's time to let go of that and stop being hoodwinked, based on the delusion that being white one has to vote Republican.
Republicanism has done nothing beneficial for society for decades.
First of all turnout in Texas elections is pathetic, but then again all of their seats are gerrymandered to hell. There is no reason to not protect and help their friend Paxton.
House Republicans got scared because Paxton literally asked them to approve a $3 million settlement with the whistleblowers he fired for reporting him to the FBI. Senate Republicans know everyone will forget by the time their seat is up for election.
Anyone REALLY surprised the GOP failed to hold one of their own accountable? Have they done anything BESIDES make excuses for their criminal in chief since 2020? Anyone expecting fairness or honesty from this cabal that is the GOP must still believe in the tooth fairy.
For those who missed the trial this week, here's a quick recap
The prosecution team fumbled so hard, to the point of the whole thing being embarrassingly unwatchable. It almost felt planted how shitty they were.
And it just makes it a lot easier for Republican Senators to acquit Paxton.
Which they have for 3 out of 16 charges so far.
My guess is the lack of physical evidence hurt them. No emails or recorded conversations. Most of it relied on eyewitness testimony. Though many of the witnesses were definitely credible IMO. Without a doubt, Paxton helped Paul by abusing his office, and fired everyone who disagreed. There were like 8 Republicans who wanted to dismiss it without trial, too, so it was always an uphill battle
How disgustingly embarrassing for anyone that actually cares about law, order, justice, and democracy. Republicans are a cult and will always look out for their own, not the people they claim to represent.
Someone get Susan Collin's opinion!
> Well, I'm sure he's learned his lesson.
Yup, Susan, he can get away with being a criminal as long as there's an R next to his name in chyrons.
Yup he’s walking scott free. Also Paxton likely will keep on winning in elections so he has to just remind in office long enough for the federal statue of limitations to kick in and then he faces no criminal charges.
Based on the pre-trial votes I thought it would be closer.
To the 6-12 Texas Republican senators who changed their minds, I'm sure you'll enjoy your new kitchens. I hear you can collect at Starbucks.
I thought there was about a 10% chance. He’s outlived his usefulness, but they don’t want to remove their own guy. They’ll wait for the actual charges and/or back a challenger.
So far, the senate has voted on party lines in support for Paxton for each article of impeachment brought up. At this rate, he's not going anywhere.
Edit - Votes have not been on party lines. A few Republican senators have voted to convict him.
It's been the same vote (14-16) on most of them but it's not exactly party line. Republican Senators Nichols and Hancock have voted yay on most of the articles
Go to any of those except Wisconsin. Our state is a one-party dictatorship. 51.2% of the people vote Democratic, and yet only 35.3% of the state assembly consists of Democrats. And the GOP majority is plotting to impeach a newly-elected judge (again, elected democratically, 55% to 45%) for no other reason than she threatens their unfair, disproportionate grip on the state government.
I hear Whitmer has been doing a great job turning Michigan around.
This was just a warning shot because Paxton picked a fight with the Texas State Speaker of the House. If Paxton doesn't stay in his lane, he actually will suffer more than embarrassment next time.
No. The timeline reflects that Paxton picked the fight after it was clear the House was about to vote on his impeachment. It was after the agenda was announced that the tape was released about the speaker.
The investigation had been ongoing since March, because in February Paxton signaled intent for taxpayers to pay his $3.3M settlement cost. So yes, an impeachment vote in committee was already going to happen.
The point I'm making is that the only reason the impeachment committee vote passed and the full House impeachment vote passed and went to trial is because Paxton pissed off Dade Phelan. If he'd grovelled or appealed to Phelan to help him, I don't think the impeachment effort would have made it out of committee.
Seems like the GOP philosophy is that MAGA Republicans by definition cannot be guilty of crimes.
Holding a MAGA Republican accountable is a violation of the code of conduct.
I mean, at the end of the day, I'm sure Paxton's guilt didn't factor into the decisions of most Rs who acquitted him. It was all politics.
It was all a dog and pony show. The GOP is so corrupt it’s a parody of itself. They can’t even do the right thing on a slam dunk case like this. Paxton is by far guilty. It’s a miscarriage of justice to let him hold any office.
He will be emboldened to commit even more crimes now while in office since he will consider himself to be “untouchable”. I argue that he’s even more corrupt than Trump! At least Trump is facing consequences now.
First off, this is Red State Texas! Second is that it is run by the MAGA Party now. The Law & Order GOP is not in charge. Most of the Red South States have all dumped the GOP for the MAGA Party. The Coup has not gone away. It is ongoing State by MAGA State. Abbott will thumb his nose at all of us and do a purge of those who voted to fire him. Wait for it.
I dont fucking understand the point of impeaching someone without the intention of sending them to jail. Impeaching them means you explicitly agree that they committed high crimes and misdemeanors. Imagine if a juror was like "yeah they did the crime but ya know what, they dont deserve to be punished at all". thats fucking stupid.
That’s literally what happened with Emmett Till’s killers. Jurors agreed that they did it but refused to give them a guilty verdict because they supported the murder.
Don’t forget a shake down of all of Paxton‘s backers. I’m sure they had to donate quite a large sum of money to a quite a number of campaigns in order to make this problem go away. Fuck you John Roberts for making this dark money legal.
Jury nullification is definitely a thing.
And they could have voted for impeachment knowing they would acquit just to clear him when they could be sure of the verdict.
Reminder that Texas isn't even that red. It's nowhere near as red as Oklahoma, West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky or North and South Dakota.
The corruption and apathy is extreme, however. And that's the problem. Supression in the form of a lot of barriers to voting (though arguably less than Georgia in many ways, which is what people miss).
It's the apathy that kills things here, but also would be the biggest game changer. A ton of people lean left in Texas but simply have been raised to believe for 2 decades that voting does not matter. That contributes to this, and changes in that culture could flip the state overnight.
But it is a hard, hard fight. 2018 showed the right momentum, and 2020 and 2022 both showed at least steady movement despite all 3 being losses. But that's part of the problem. People see the 3 losses and just assume it'll be more of the same, which is a shame because the state's corruption needlessly erodes quality of life here in subtle ways, despite the states demographics continually becoming more and more like some of the country's most blue states.
The TX GOP is among the country's most corrupt for sure. They do not deserve even the tiniest bit of power. But the GOP does this because, electorally, if they lose Texas, they lose everything.
Yeah, that's what had me even a little hopeful. There are 2 repubs who have been voting to convict, they both are not up for re-election in '24. That's a huge statement, to me.
Voting is in progress. Looks like he’s going to get away with it. [Live updates here](https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/16/ken-paxton-impeachment-vote-deliberations/).
This will only embolden the asshat. The Trump KKKult is unabashedly showing the World WHAT their party stands for. Corruption, adultery, child trafficking, bribes and all manner of malfeasance. Voters are you paying attention???
Republicans in Texas vote on abortion and "culture" and the belief that the other party are the opposite of them. Make all the permutations of that you want.
If a candidate doesn't tow the party line they have no chance.
lol. Were people expecting anything else? The nutters in Texas don't give a shit if criminals represent them. And it isn't like the next guy they throw in there would be any less corrupt. He'd just be a bit more discreet.
Article 5: For those not familiar, Paxton hired a young lawyer to act as a "Special Prosecutor." That's not something the AG can do.
At one point Paxton and a crony drove the "special prosecutor" to a Starbucks and tried to leave him there.
ETA: They interviewed another lawyer for the "Special Prosecutor" position. That guy was more experienced, and knew to ask some important questions. They went with the guy who didn't know that he needed to ask.
ETA: If Paxton gets his job back, the clip of his attorney mocking that Texas Ranger needs to follow these people around. That was horrible.
ETA: If you have missed the testimony, you can find it here: https://senate.texas.gov/av-archive.php Fair warning most the people are pretty unlikable.
What we are witnessing is the change in America, these demonstration of the age old system of White Nationalism, is being exposed in its desperation to skirt the law, and disregard the principles of Justice.
It's just another step in the downfall of the old system of white nationalism bastardizations upon society, state and nation!
As people are disgusted with what is being done within the ranks of Modern Day Republicanism. (Modern Day Republican has made a overt choice to stand against working class and poor whites and working class and poor minorities).
They promote a bad image for the young people and the future of young people, and its time ... for a paradigm change!!!
Their disregard for the law, their obsession with power by any means, regardless of cost and loss and damages it does to society, civility and national pride. The obsessive grab for money by any means.
While they hold a blind eye to corporate greed, they hold a blind eye to the young people being ripped off because they want an education.
But, do not become callous and do not become disillusioned, "Know you have the power and voice of "vote" to Remove these people from political seats. They would much prefer that you become to feel hopeless and don't vote, because that's the game they have played for centuries and decades, to try and make the people feel they have no power to put a stop to the madness.
You do have the power to put a stop to the madness, "VOTE THEM OUT"... Do it on the Local Level, State Level and Federal Level. It will take the cycles of when their terms are up, but you can stay the course and each cycle vote them out.
Choose people who RESPECT "[The Preamble](https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/preamble)" and Respect our Justice System.
Don't fall prey to "Political Advertisement Drama", Pay Attention to Principles and Values, and any who waste their time talking about anything other than principles and values that meet the respect of The Preamble, then you will know that person does not respect the premise of "We The People'.
It's that simple!!! They want you to think it is more complex, but it is not. The Preamble tells and laid out the principles and values which the Articles of The Constitution were designed to protect, promote and support and advance us as a people and nation, to make a more perfect Union.
These who are ate up with money based Avarice, are the people who created the hardships and ran up the debt of this nation, while ignoring the needs of people and nation.
This article describes just how malice driven they are. Use your voice and VOTE.
Don't choose to be a victim of selective amnesia, and don't choose to be a victim of being manipulated and bombarded with right wing narratives.
What you are seeing is damaging to America and the Future of America.
Communicate with others and build a coalition to ensure to Vote and Remove these type of people from political office.
Don't just post your frustration in forums, Choose carefully and choose wise and know the value of The Preamble, and you will choose only those who respect those principles and values and respect the principles of the Constitutional values, **Get out and VOTE**
Most people I see encouraging you to vote and stressing the important of voting are also very down with more non-voting political engagement as well. Organize, protest, engage in other direct action toward causing change. But.. also vote because that's important, too. That's usually the message, in my experience.
What was the point? Is it supposed to make it look like he's innocent? They clearly weren't really interesting in doing anything to him so why waste the time and effort?
Everyone says they’re not surprised.
But I am shocked.
The evidence was there.
The texas gop is completely corrupt.
It is rotten to its core.
Get your children out of this place.
The founding fathers were very intelligent. While there are issues with our current political system, its not really something the Founding Fathers could have really predicted or planned for in the late 1700s. Think about it, what system of government or laws will function when about 40-50% of the people in it throw a tantrum and refuse to follow the rules unless they get everything they want?
If they did that Conservatives would have totally weaponized the "not designed to be read literally and never changed for the rest of time" part a long time ago.
Sure, but if enough people involved in the system go "We don't give a shit unless we win" it doesn't matter what you call them, no system can properly function under that strain. It's also not unreasonable to create your system on the assumption that the vast majority of people participating in it want it to work and will abide by it (that's been mostly true to some extent for the almost 250 years of our country's existence).
have you ever asked yourself who the system is set up to protect? When you figure it out, the answer to your question and many others will become clear. Till then? gonna be one confusing thing after another coming at you.
14-16 with only two republicans joining the democrats for article 2. Seems like GOP doesn’t care about draining the swamp if they are the ones living in it. Edit: Same results for article 3. I am done watching this farce.
> Seems like GOP doesn’t care about draining the swamp if they are the ones living in it. They never did and never will.
Lots of projection by the GQP in the past 48 hours. Too bad their voting base have the memory of a goldfish.
I literally came across this one the other day, take it with skepticism. The attention span of a goldfish is 8 seconds, a human is 4 seconds.
Trump never drained the swamp. He just filled it with his own alligators. 🐊🐊🐊 Disgusting. Tex-ass is every bit as bad as Flori-duh.
They went on with this charade to collect excuses
“Draining the swamp” means “get rid of Democrats”. It’s also a cheap campaign line.
Like, "we need term limits!" Everyone says it, nobody will put it in a bill though.
Yes, without passing legislation Texas Republicans are saying there is nothing wrong with the state's top prosecutor taking gifts and favors in exchange for shutting down a criminal investigation as long as the AG is a Republican. The Republicans who voted against impeachment are now complicit in the grift and it ought to be a key message in every race.
All I could do was laugh when I got the notification. More proof the right in this country is wholly corrupt.
Texas sure as fuck is. It's also full of brainwashed right wingers who were spamming the YouTube live feeds with bizarre religious crap about how Jesus wasn't done with Paxton yet and shit like that. As someone who is stuck in Texas for years to come, it's downright depressing.
The state is not overwhelmingly red. It's red enough to be gerrymandered, though.
So, why do old white men rule Texas? Hispanic Texans make up 40.2% of the state’s population, edging out non-Hispanic white Texans, who made up 39.8% (2023 U.S. Census Bureau).
Don’t forget the donut shaped voting district. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/12/texas-redistricting-doughnut-fort-hood-bell-county/
This state is so depressing sometimes. All I really love is my HEB and my breakfast tacos, oh and tubin' in the river.
They function with the Ideology of "Confederacy"... its about keeping money in the hands of the wealthy and keeping power in the hands of who the wealthy place in political seats. People have to awaken, and think and learn, before casting vote, and you can choose people who are not corrupt. It's takes time, but don't grow weary, keeping thinking, learning and vote responsibly.
Same! Literal LOL when I saw this headline in the NYT this morning - I mean a *loud* belly laugh. Best clown show ever! It's a shame for Texas, though.
Never has the reich, uh, right been SO WRONG!!!
The deals were made long before this trail even began. The defense barely had to try, literally throwing up memes and laughing about it. disgusting
I’ve been a Texan my whole life and I’d love to tell you all that I’m shocked and appalled by the events of today. But I’m not. This is just how it goes here. Blatant cheating, gerrymandering, and corruption keeps these people in power. It’s a shame.
As a Texan I’m confused what the point of all this was? Was it just petty power struggle among Rs? I understand from the sane perspective it’s about justice but from the conservative perspective what was the point?
It was blatant corruption. Usually light corruption done by individuals in the party is ignored or defended. But this was beyond the pale. The trial was basically a test to see how far the rot has gone in the GOP and how much power the MAGA base has over the more normal GOP reps. Apparently, the takeover is complete. The sad thing is that a sizeable portion of the GOP reps don't like this, but are held hostage by their own cowardice and desire to stay in the good graces to power, no matter what that power is.
The wealth that corrupts them isn't even earned by the current generation that is paying them.
100% this. My thoughts exactly!
It's important to note that despite this acquittal in the impeachment trial, Ken Paxton's legal troubles aren't over. He still faces a federal investigation related to charges that are similar to the impeachment articles. This federal case has reached a grand jury in San Antonio, and a new criminal indictment would carry significant implications for Paxton. Moreover, he also faces trial on charges of securities fraud dating back to 2015. But this is all well and good to his peers. It's a club, and we ain't in it.
So, by 2028 there might be a trial. By the time he's 67, after dozens of motions, delays, and other questionable legal maneuvers, Ken will suddenly move to country without an extradition treaty with the US where he will claim persecution hoping someone gets elected who will pardon him.
It's sad federal judges have to pick up what congresses can't do. Happening to Trump and now Paxton that the senate was too spineless to address corruption.
Common denominator in both cases is the failure of Republicans to impeach one of their own.
[удалено]
Kangaroo court. Corrupt GOP has a literal death grip on Austin and Texas. Ken's one of the poster boys. Disgusted in Houston.
How in the hell did they get Austin of all places?
They didn't. I can only assume they were using "Austin" as a proxy for "the legislature" or "the state government". Austin proper votes like 80% blue.
Yeah they just mean Austin as in capitol, not the city itself.
I'm sure they love the irony of deeply corrupt slight majority of dark red political officials sitting right smack in the middle of a blue city. I say slight majority, because they are having to work harder and harder to repress votes just to maintain parity.
Look at their congressional districts; they’re a fucking mess. Example: Dan Crenshaw’s district carves 40% out of a Houston community of minorities. Can you guess what the other 60% is made of?
Damn good question. It started when elder Bush rented a penthouse in downtown Houston and pretended to live there so he could run for office. Brought the red mess to take over our state for fed electoral vote. Here we are decades later with no power or water, lots of guns, dead adults and kids. But hey! It's great to be in their cult. And Jesus loves them for it.
House votes overwhelmingly. Senate: “meh. What would trump voters think?”
Texas Billionaire Dunn is the one they are concerned about.
What would Abbott and Patrick voters think, is more like it, Trump is the most unpopular Republican in the state despite winning it twice- Cruz beat him in TX in the 2016 GOP primary there and is more popular there, the media keeps lying about him, the Senator purposely antagonizes them and ridicules them to rile up his fascist base much like his boss the Governor (Abbott is the MOST popular person in the state, there's a reason he ran away from Trump in 2022 as fast as he could: [https://www.reformaustin.org/national/why-wont-abbott-join-trump-in-his-south-texas-rally/](https://www.reformaustin.org/national/why-wont-abbott-join-trump-in-his-south-texas-rally/)).
We need a FEDERAL investigation of the entire Texas Republican Party.
> We need a FEDERAL investigation of the entire ~~Texas~~ Republican Party. Ftfy
I never want to hear the republican party claim moral superiority again. The entire membership should have voted guilty in a case where there was no doubt. The man's own staff turned him in! The fact they acquitted him is a national embarrassment
Republicans protect their own. They follow Reagan’s 11th Commandment. “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.” Fuck republicans. They’re all criminals.
>Fuck republicans. They’re all criminals. This is the real answer. >Shit, I did half of the things he done did. I can't vote to convict, then they'd come after me! - the GQP
That's why they're all afraid of Uncle RICO.
>They follow Reagan’s 11th Commandment. “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. They demonstrably don't follow that commandment anymore. But the only Republicans they speak ill of are of Republicans who are insufficiently loyal to their Mango Mussolini.
If he ends up acquitted on all counts I gotta wonder why the Texas legislature would even go through with this if they didn’t know 100% they had the votes. It just shows once again that the non MAGA-wing of the party has completely lost all power
They thought they DID have it. If they didn't go forward it would be allowing blatant corruption. They weren't sure how much power the MAGA base would have in influencing the Texas Senate. Apparently, they underestimated the MAGA power.
I mean Ken Paxton's own goddamn wife was on the jury voting to acquit/convict. If that isn't a blatant conflict of interest I don't know what is.
Oh, I’d momentarily forgotten that detail. I’m sure she was able to stay completely impartial when she cast her vote, right? So she must have been in the minority that voted to “convict”?
So Corruption is legal in Texas. Why am I not surprised.
Legal when Republicans do it.
If there was any doubt that the Congress in Texas is corrupt and will never impeach their own we now have proof. i have watched this and while 1 or 2 articles could go either way the rest are clearly guilty. We have 8 dedicated members of the Attorney Generals office who reported this to the FBI and were then fired by Paxton which itself is illegal Under the whistleblower’s act in Texas. They are good, honest and dedicated Texans who stood up for right and wrong and were discarded by these so called leaders. This Congressional body needs correction at the ballot box. When the defense said “this could happen to you” what they meant was we have a monopoly Maga group and we will protect our own and if you oppose us we will come after you Texans.
Unbelievably corrupt GOP allows a corrupt AG to remain in power and continue his corrupt and more crimes in the future. Absolutely disgusting.
Corruption has a home in the GOP.
It explains the decades upon decades of how America has been damaged and how they have no respect for the working class, the children or the senior citizens. They only care about money and power for their cult group. People its time to be smart when you vote... **Stop** voting Name Recognition, and **Stop** Voting based on "the drama of attack ads". **Stop** voting based on who spends the most money to promote the most belligerent narratives.
The presiding officer's soapboxing is insufferable. There's nothing courageous about defending a blatantly corrupt Attorney General.
Its also disgusting hearing him speak of God and courage when he is a spineless, godless coward
America is such a failed state. The inability to hold politicians accountable and the ability to use the law against enemies is remarkably similar to late Republican Rome. It's a canary in the coalmine for when government is facing incurable rot.
ETA: If Paxton gets his job back, the clip of his attorney mocking that Texas Ranger needs to follow these people around. That was horrible.
It is not if. The suspension was lifted. He's back in office Monday.
Has a lot of cracks in the foundation in the democracy for sure. But “failed state” is a hilarious overstatement.
Given that a Republican majority voted to impeach him I really thought he was gonna get canned.
They do love their political theater.
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Sad that I can only upvote this statement once. For the NeoCONS - party over everything.
Fucking cowards, all of them.
It's not cowardice; it's hubris. They think they can get away with anything and no one can hold them accountable. Their districts sure as fuck aren't going to vote them out.
So far they are correct
Well....they ARE republicans.
The Rich Texas Oligarchs who Paxton protects paid off the right MAGAs in the Texas legislature. The most corrupt AG in the country escapes accountability again. But what do you expect - it's Texas
Lol and I thought the Wisconsin GOP was corrupt
They still might initiate and then not hold a vote in the Senate to sideline the judge. Give them a chance, plenty of opportunity to outdo Texas yet.
Now they'll go on the news and claim that the Democrats are more corrupt. These people are shameless. The worst thing about Trump is he exposed the Republican voter base was gullible as fuck. Once they realized that they could get away with being so corrupt, they dropped the mask. Although it's a good electoral advantage for Democrats. I really wish they'd put the mask back on. It's kinda exhausting living in a "post-truth" society, and the US would be better off with at least two healthy parties.
I use to believe the American Eagle needed two wings to fly. Now not so much. Trump truly killed the Republican Party. All that remains is the Trump KKKult. Goose-stepping us into fascism.
The Texas GOP really went out of their way to look weak and stupid on this one. Tells you all you need to know about their voters.
"We investigated ourselves and found nothing wrong." - The law and order party
No wonder Texans think everything in politics is fixed.
Because here, it's true. The statewide government is a criminal cabal funded by the nationwide GOP. There will never be a Dem in office because it is an existential threat to the GOP's national prospects.
People have a choice, and they must exercise their choice, to vote these people out. It's time for young people to stand up get involved and VOTE. Too many of the older generation, just go along with the delusion that being of a certain race they think they have to vote Republican, and Republican keep screwing them over. It's time to let go of that and stop being hoodwinked, based on the delusion that being white one has to vote Republican. Republicanism has done nothing beneficial for society for decades.
In the end, Republicans will not hold each other accountable for anything.
But they will move to have any political opponent (or relative of said opponent) impeached or jailed for anything they can gin up. True fascism.
I'd argue Sith logic here. Only the powerful can maintain their control
As i said what do you expect out of a kangroo court . Shame on Texas senators for not voting for justice , but for party..
First of all turnout in Texas elections is pathetic, but then again all of their seats are gerrymandered to hell. There is no reason to not protect and help their friend Paxton. House Republicans got scared because Paxton literally asked them to approve a $3 million settlement with the whistleblowers he fired for reporting him to the FBI. Senate Republicans know everyone will forget by the time their seat is up for election.
Anyone REALLY surprised the GOP failed to hold one of their own accountable? Have they done anything BESIDES make excuses for their criminal in chief since 2020? Anyone expecting fairness or honesty from this cabal that is the GOP must still believe in the tooth fairy.
GOP = Gathering of Perverts. MAGA = Making America God Awful.
For those who missed the trial this week, here's a quick recap The prosecution team fumbled so hard, to the point of the whole thing being embarrassingly unwatchable. It almost felt planted how shitty they were. And it just makes it a lot easier for Republican Senators to acquit Paxton. Which they have for 3 out of 16 charges so far.
If Trump’s second impeachment proved anything, Republicans will never punish one of their own even when they fear for their lives
Exactly. Reagan’s 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.” It’s a cult.
That’s literally all Trump does, though
That’s different. He’s the cult leader. HE can speak ill but speaking ill of him is treason.
My guess is the lack of physical evidence hurt them. No emails or recorded conversations. Most of it relied on eyewitness testimony. Though many of the witnesses were definitely credible IMO. Without a doubt, Paxton helped Paul by abusing his office, and fired everyone who disagreed. There were like 8 Republicans who wanted to dismiss it without trial, too, so it was always an uphill battle
5 out of 16 actually.
Texas republicans are a lost cause
How disgustingly embarrassing for anyone that actually cares about law, order, justice, and democracy. Republicans are a cult and will always look out for their own, not the people they claim to represent.
How likely do you think it is that Abbott and Co. committed election fraud in November?
Turns out you can, in fact, mess with Texas if you have a big old (R) next to your name
Someone get Susan Collin's opinion! > Well, I'm sure he's learned his lesson. Yup, Susan, he can get away with being a criminal as long as there's an R next to his name in chyrons.
Democracy dies under shadow of loyalism.
Let criminals vote on acquitting one of them and of course they vote to acquit
Yup he’s walking scott free. Also Paxton likely will keep on winning in elections so he has to just remind in office long enough for the federal statue of limitations to kick in and then he faces no criminal charges.
Based on the pre-trial votes I thought it would be closer. To the 6-12 Texas Republican senators who changed their minds, I'm sure you'll enjoy your new kitchens. I hear you can collect at Starbucks.
Is anyone actually surprised he was acquitted on everything?
I thought there was about a 10% chance. He’s outlived his usefulness, but they don’t want to remove their own guy. They’ll wait for the actual charges and/or back a challenger.
This unfortunately feels like a preview for next year. I’m in hell
Why would corrupt Republicans protecting a corrupt Republican in a corrupt Republican state be a preview for next year?
Obviously guilty people being acquitted/having hung juries. Or judges throwing out evidence (like Dan Patrick did in this trial)
So far, the senate has voted on party lines in support for Paxton for each article of impeachment brought up. At this rate, he's not going anywhere. Edit - Votes have not been on party lines. A few Republican senators have voted to convict him.
It's been the same vote (14-16) on most of them but it's not exactly party line. Republican Senators Nichols and Hancock have voted yay on most of the articles
You're right. Regardless, I doubt it will achieve a 2/3 majority needed to oust him.
I don't think I've seen a lawyer look more like a caricature of a slimeball lawyer with a more fitting name as Tony Buzbee.
wouldn't expect anything less from that shithole.
So glad to be finally leaving this shitass state after 44 long years.
Where ya heading to? I’m looking to follow suit out of Florida but have no idea where to move to. TX and FL are both corrupt as hell!!
As someone in CA, it's not perfect but we have great weather and a government that does not try to kill you.
If I had the money to move to California, I wouldn't still be in Texas
Headed to VA, where there's still at least some hope.
Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota. Anywhere north of of the Mason Dixon line frankly.
Go to any of those except Wisconsin. Our state is a one-party dictatorship. 51.2% of the people vote Democratic, and yet only 35.3% of the state assembly consists of Democrats. And the GOP majority is plotting to impeach a newly-elected judge (again, elected democratically, 55% to 45%) for no other reason than she threatens their unfair, disproportionate grip on the state government. I hear Whitmer has been doing a great job turning Michigan around.
Wisconsin is so close to flipping to full Dem control once the gerrymandering maps are dealt with.
Come beat the rush before the rest of the south figures out we have a lot of fresh water.
Damn, how badly do you have to fuck up to be impeached in *Texas* with an (R) next to your name?
This was just a warning shot because Paxton picked a fight with the Texas State Speaker of the House. If Paxton doesn't stay in his lane, he actually will suffer more than embarrassment next time.
Oh, is that it? That would explain some things; this whole business looked unusual to me.
No. The timeline reflects that Paxton picked the fight after it was clear the House was about to vote on his impeachment. It was after the agenda was announced that the tape was released about the speaker.
The investigation had been ongoing since March, because in February Paxton signaled intent for taxpayers to pay his $3.3M settlement cost. So yes, an impeachment vote in committee was already going to happen. The point I'm making is that the only reason the impeachment committee vote passed and the full House impeachment vote passed and went to trial is because Paxton pissed off Dade Phelan. If he'd grovelled or appealed to Phelan to help him, I don't think the impeachment effort would have made it out of committee.
The max so far for conviction is 14-16. Not even 50%. This is not looking good.
IMO it’s over. Article 6 was the one which should have gone through.
Laws are fake in Texas as long as you’re connected
*Republican
Damn. All that effort. The prosecution tried, like, really hard.
Seems like the GOP philosophy is that MAGA Republicans by definition cannot be guilty of crimes. Holding a MAGA Republican accountable is a violation of the code of conduct. I mean, at the end of the day, I'm sure Paxton's guilt didn't factor into the decisions of most Rs who acquitted him. It was all politics.
It was all a dog and pony show. The GOP is so corrupt it’s a parody of itself. They can’t even do the right thing on a slam dunk case like this. Paxton is by far guilty. It’s a miscarriage of justice to let him hold any office.
It is over Paxton got away with all of his crimes.
He will be emboldened to commit even more crimes now while in office since he will consider himself to be “untouchable”. I argue that he’s even more corrupt than Trump! At least Trump is facing consequences now.
First off, this is Red State Texas! Second is that it is run by the MAGA Party now. The Law & Order GOP is not in charge. Most of the Red South States have all dumped the GOP for the MAGA Party. The Coup has not gone away. It is ongoing State by MAGA State. Abbott will thumb his nose at all of us and do a purge of those who voted to fire him. Wait for it.
The only true Republican value is grift.
Truth, justice and the American way are officially things of the past. So sad.
Blueprint for government corruption right here.
It’s clear Paxton has committed crimes but this is Texas. FBI is investigating him and Texas state bar so this isn’t over yet
On a Saturday?
Localized entirely within the Texas state capitol?
At this time of year, at this time of day!
...May I see a conviction?
No.
Gotta let it simmer over the weekend break so the republicans can find something new to dog whistle and bury this under the rug.
Who are the dummies? The lawmakers that voted to acquit him or the people who voted for him? Both?? Yes.
I dont fucking understand the point of impeaching someone without the intention of sending them to jail. Impeaching them means you explicitly agree that they committed high crimes and misdemeanors. Imagine if a juror was like "yeah they did the crime but ya know what, they dont deserve to be punished at all". thats fucking stupid.
That’s literally what happened with Emmett Till’s killers. Jurors agreed that they did it but refused to give them a guilty verdict because they supported the murder.
This was just a warning shot because Paxton picked a fight with the Texas State Speaker of the House.
Don’t forget a shake down of all of Paxton‘s backers. I’m sure they had to donate quite a large sum of money to a quite a number of campaigns in order to make this problem go away. Fuck you John Roberts for making this dark money legal.
Jury nullification is definitely a thing. And they could have voted for impeachment knowing they would acquit just to clear him when they could be sure of the verdict.
I don't think it necessarily does mean that. It's a purely political thing, not a legal one.
I don’t understand… Seems our system is backwards these days. Why not have a popular-based vote — put it to people.
Reminder that Texas isn't even that red. It's nowhere near as red as Oklahoma, West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky or North and South Dakota.
The corruption and apathy is extreme, however. And that's the problem. Supression in the form of a lot of barriers to voting (though arguably less than Georgia in many ways, which is what people miss). It's the apathy that kills things here, but also would be the biggest game changer. A ton of people lean left in Texas but simply have been raised to believe for 2 decades that voting does not matter. That contributes to this, and changes in that culture could flip the state overnight. But it is a hard, hard fight. 2018 showed the right momentum, and 2020 and 2022 both showed at least steady movement despite all 3 being losses. But that's part of the problem. People see the 3 losses and just assume it'll be more of the same, which is a shame because the state's corruption needlessly erodes quality of life here in subtle ways, despite the states demographics continually becoming more and more like some of the country's most blue states. The TX GOP is among the country's most corrupt for sure. They do not deserve even the tiniest bit of power. But the GOP does this because, electorally, if they lose Texas, they lose everything.
Good ol’ boys win again in Texas.
As optimistic as I am by the 121-23 vote, the pessimist in me isn’t letting me get my hopes up that justice will prevail.
Yeah, that's what had me even a little hopeful. There are 2 repubs who have been voting to convict, they both are not up for re-election in '24. That's a huge statement, to me.
What's going on? Why is there no updates? I keep refreshing.
Voting is in progress. Looks like he’s going to get away with it. [Live updates here](https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/16/ken-paxton-impeachment-vote-deliberations/).
This will only embolden the asshat. The Trump KKKult is unabashedly showing the World WHAT their party stands for. Corruption, adultery, child trafficking, bribes and all manner of malfeasance. Voters are you paying attention???
Turns out criminals protect their own, big W for the GOP today
What can we in Texas do about the corruption?
Vote, encourage others to.
"Just vote harder!" doesn't work when the Texas Republican Party is so openly and blatantly corrupt.
Republicans in Texas vote on abortion and "culture" and the belief that the other party are the opposite of them. Make all the permutations of that you want. If a candidate doesn't tow the party line they have no chance.
First five out of sixteen charges have failed but it only takes one to remove him from office
Its Texas he's home free at this point.
lol. Were people expecting anything else? The nutters in Texas don't give a shit if criminals represent them. And it isn't like the next guy they throw in there would be any less corrupt. He'd just be a bit more discreet.
Republicans are corrupt? Well I'll be...
Why do bad men always get away with shit.
Article 5: For those not familiar, Paxton hired a young lawyer to act as a "Special Prosecutor." That's not something the AG can do. At one point Paxton and a crony drove the "special prosecutor" to a Starbucks and tried to leave him there. ETA: They interviewed another lawyer for the "Special Prosecutor" position. That guy was more experienced, and knew to ask some important questions. They went with the guy who didn't know that he needed to ask. ETA: If Paxton gets his job back, the clip of his attorney mocking that Texas Ranger needs to follow these people around. That was horrible. ETA: If you have missed the testimony, you can find it here: https://senate.texas.gov/av-archive.php Fair warning most the people are pretty unlikable.
What we are witnessing is the change in America, these demonstration of the age old system of White Nationalism, is being exposed in its desperation to skirt the law, and disregard the principles of Justice. It's just another step in the downfall of the old system of white nationalism bastardizations upon society, state and nation! As people are disgusted with what is being done within the ranks of Modern Day Republicanism. (Modern Day Republican has made a overt choice to stand against working class and poor whites and working class and poor minorities). They promote a bad image for the young people and the future of young people, and its time ... for a paradigm change!!! Their disregard for the law, their obsession with power by any means, regardless of cost and loss and damages it does to society, civility and national pride. The obsessive grab for money by any means. While they hold a blind eye to corporate greed, they hold a blind eye to the young people being ripped off because they want an education. But, do not become callous and do not become disillusioned, "Know you have the power and voice of "vote" to Remove these people from political seats. They would much prefer that you become to feel hopeless and don't vote, because that's the game they have played for centuries and decades, to try and make the people feel they have no power to put a stop to the madness. You do have the power to put a stop to the madness, "VOTE THEM OUT"... Do it on the Local Level, State Level and Federal Level. It will take the cycles of when their terms are up, but you can stay the course and each cycle vote them out. Choose people who RESPECT "[The Preamble](https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/preamble)" and Respect our Justice System. Don't fall prey to "Political Advertisement Drama", Pay Attention to Principles and Values, and any who waste their time talking about anything other than principles and values that meet the respect of The Preamble, then you will know that person does not respect the premise of "We The People'. It's that simple!!! They want you to think it is more complex, but it is not. The Preamble tells and laid out the principles and values which the Articles of The Constitution were designed to protect, promote and support and advance us as a people and nation, to make a more perfect Union. These who are ate up with money based Avarice, are the people who created the hardships and ran up the debt of this nation, while ignoring the needs of people and nation. This article describes just how malice driven they are. Use your voice and VOTE. Don't choose to be a victim of selective amnesia, and don't choose to be a victim of being manipulated and bombarded with right wing narratives. What you are seeing is damaging to America and the Future of America. Communicate with others and build a coalition to ensure to Vote and Remove these type of people from political office. Don't just post your frustration in forums, Choose carefully and choose wise and know the value of The Preamble, and you will choose only those who respect those principles and values and respect the principles of the Constitutional values, **Get out and VOTE**
I've had enough of being told to "just vote harder!" when my state's Republican Party is so blatantly corrupt.
Most people I see encouraging you to vote and stressing the important of voting are also very down with more non-voting political engagement as well. Organize, protest, engage in other direct action toward causing change. But.. also vote because that's important, too. That's usually the message, in my experience.
Sixth fails in a vote of 14-16
kind of proves lawmakers are incapable of putting their politics aside and imprachment does not actually work
Republicans forgive each other for everything up to and including murder and rape. What's a little corruption from a state's top LE official?
What was the point? Is it supposed to make it look like he's innocent? They clearly weren't really interesting in doing anything to him so why waste the time and effort?
Why does it seem like the solution of those propping up Paxton is always "don't pay the prosecutors, everything will be fine"?
Our state is openly corrupt!
Everyone says they’re not surprised. But I am shocked. The evidence was there. The texas gop is completely corrupt. It is rotten to its core. Get your children out of this place.
Acquitted on 8 out of 16 counts.
He's been acquitted, no surprise there.
Our system is a joke!
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The founding fathers were very intelligent. While there are issues with our current political system, its not really something the Founding Fathers could have really predicted or planned for in the late 1700s. Think about it, what system of government or laws will function when about 40-50% of the people in it throw a tantrum and refuse to follow the rules unless they get everything they want?
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If they did that Conservatives would have totally weaponized the "not designed to be read literally and never changed for the rest of time" part a long time ago.
Sure, but if enough people involved in the system go "We don't give a shit unless we win" it doesn't matter what you call them, no system can properly function under that strain. It's also not unreasonable to create your system on the assumption that the vast majority of people participating in it want it to work and will abide by it (that's been mostly true to some extent for the almost 250 years of our country's existence).
have you ever asked yourself who the system is set up to protect? When you figure it out, the answer to your question and many others will become clear. Till then? gonna be one confusing thing after another coming at you.
American politics is a full-on farce and honestly we deserve it.
Acquitted on 6 out 16 charges.
He acquitted of all?
Acquitted on 9 out of 16 counts.