Which Denton County representatives voted to impeach Ken Paxton?
Texas House members voted 121-23 to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday, which has suspended him from office until the Senate meets for his trial this summer.
The majority of Denton County legislators in the House voted to impeach Paxton, citing his request for $3.3 million of taxpayer funds that was intended to be used to pay the whistleblower settlement and for his abuse of office.
The 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton were filed May 25 and included a list of accusations that led to his impeachment Saturday. Paxton will now go on trial with the Senate on charges of bribery, abuse of office and obstruction by Aug. 28.
Denton County’s five representatives in the state House were part of this historic vote, and we took a look at their stances, as well as formal statements about their decisions.
Rep. Richard Hayes, R-Denton
Freshman Rep. Richard Hayes was one of two members who voted “present not voting” during Paxton’s impeachment vote. Hayes said the impeachment process happened too quickly and said the House did not get a chance to let Paxton defend himself.
Hayes represents Corinth, Hickory Creek, Lake Dallas, Shady Shores, Oak Point, Lakewood Village, Ponder, Dish, Paloma Creek and Savannah, as well as parts of Denton, Cross Roads, Little Elm and Frisco.
“I rise to speak against the referring of articles of impeachment against General Paxton,” Hayes said during his remarks on the House floor regarding the aftermath of Paxton’s impeachment.
“My concern include the speed at which this process is proceeding and the lack of direct evidence and firsthand testimony. There is no question that the allegations are serious, alarming, and stunning. But even those who are the guiltiest are entitled to a fair and reasonable process.
“It is unpersuasive to me that we can shift that to the Senate when they undertake the trial.”
Rep. Lynn Stucky, R-Denton
Rep. Lynn Stucky voted in favor of impeaching Paxton. Stucky represents the northwest portion of Denton County, including Denton, Krum and Sanger, as well as Wise County.
“Based on the available evidence presented by the committee and the hours-long debate on the House Floor, a full trial in the Senate is the only remedy to either hold Mr. Paxton responsible for his actions or allow him to clear his name with a public defense of the accusations made against him,” Stucky said in a statement posted on social media.
“I did not make this decision lightly. I have been contacted by constituents who are for and those who are against impeachment.”
Rep. Kronda Thimesch, R-Lewisville
Rep. Kronda Thimesch, who’s also in her first term, voted in favor of impeaching Paxton. She represents Lewisville, as well as parts of Denton, Carrollton, Hebron, Plano, The Colony, Highland Village, Double Oak, Bartonville, Copper Canyon, Lantana, Argyle, Justin, Draper, Northlake and Fort Worth.
“The committee’s investigation into the taxpayer-funded settlement request produced twenty alleged offenses against Paxton, including bribery, conspiracy, abuse of office, misappropriation of public resources and obstruction of justice,” Thimesch said in statement posted to social media.
“After spending hours reading the investigation’s findings, listening to testimony, reading the law, and talking to subject-matter experts, I felt that the House has the authority and obligation to the people of Texas to vote to impeach Ken Paxton and to call on the Texas Senate to conduct a full hearing — which will allow both sides to provide testimony and produce evidence, as to the actions and accountability of the Attorney General.”
Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco
Rep. Jared Patterson said in a social media statement he voted to impeach Paxton since he opposes spending taxpayer’s funds for the whistleblower lawsuit. Patterson’s district covers north central and eastern Denton County.
“Because I am a conservative, I oppose spending millions of taxpayer funds to settle a whistleblower lawsuit, especially when the whistleblowers were wrongfully terminated without cause,” Patterson said in a Facebook statement. “Because I am conservative, I am against public officials participating in a bribery scheme. And it is because I am a conservative that I distrust those who abuse their office for their own personal gain, at the cost of justice and the public trust. In closing, as a conservative elected state official, if I do not conserve my own authority and power of those who we agree with politically, then I fail to uphold limited government, the rule of law, and personal accountability altogether. No one is above the law — especially not the chief law enforcement officer in the State of Texas.”
Rep. Benjamin Bumgarner, R-Flower Mound
Freshman Rep. Benjamin Bumgarner said in a statement posted to social media that whistleblowers have accused Paxton of bribery, and that abuse of office was a reason why he voted to impeach Paxton. He also said he voted to impeach Paxton since the Senate would carefully review all the accusations and evidence.
“I have had hundreds of conversations over the last week with constituents ranging from those upset with impeachment to those relieved at a chance to clear the air,” Bumgarner said in a Twitter statement. “I am praying for wisdom from our Texas Senate and welcome any constituent of HD-63 to join us in Austin to watch those proceedings in the coming weeks,” Bumgarner said in a news release statement.
Bumgarner’s district covers the southern portion of Denton County, including Flower Mound, Lewisville, Carrollton, Trophy Club and Roanoke.
Paxton’s statement following his impeachment
Paxton released a statement after his impeachment, saying it was an illegal and unethical move for the House to vote for his impeachment.
Paxton said his office made the effort to present evidence, testimony and irrefutable facts that would have disproved the countless false statements of the impeachment.
“The ugly spectacle in the Texas House today confirmed the outrageous impeachment plot against me was never meant to be fair or just,” Paxton said in the statement posted to social media. “It was a politically motivated sham from the beginning.”
The Senate will need at least a two-thirds vote in favor of impeachment to remove Paxton from office.
JUAN BETANCOURT can be reached via Twitter at @jbetancourt_15.