Angela Colmenero will step in as the state’s top lawyer on an interim basis starting Friday while Mr. Paxton awaits a trial in the state Senate that could result in his permanent removal, the office said.
Mr. Paxton’s impeachment hearing begins Sept. 5 in the Texas Senate. If two-thirds of Senators agree on the Articles of Impeachment, Mr. Paxton would be removed from office. Mr. Paxton was reelected Texas Attorney General in November 2022, and the seat does not come up for reelection until November 2026.
Ms. Colmenero, a lawyer and Mr. Abbott’s deputy chief of staff, will take over the role from John Scott, a former Texas secretary of state who the governor named as a “short-term interim” following Mr. Paxton’s impeachment in May by the Republican-led House of Representatives.
“John Scott faithfully executed his duties as the interim Attorney General of Texas, and I thank him for his leadership in stepping up to serve his fellow Texans in this role,” Mr. Abbott said in a statement.
“Today, under authorities granted by the Texas Constitution, I appoint Angela Colmenero as interim Texas Attorney General. In addition to her time in the Office of the Governor, Angela served under me in the Texas Attorney General’s Office and has firsthand experience with how the agency operates. Angela’s experience in state government and expertise in litigation will help her oversee the Texas Attorney General’s Office and serve as our state’s top law enforcement officer as the Texas Senate conducts impeachment proceedings.”
Ms. Colmenero has been serving as Mr. Abbott’s deputy chief of staff, a position Mr. Abbott promoted her to less than a month ago. She previously was principal deputy general counsel in the governor’s office. She also worked for Mr. Abbott when he was attorney general himself, including as chief of the General Litigation Division.
Mr. Paxton is temporarily suspended from office pending the outcome of his trial on 20 articles of impeachment that include charges of bribery and abuse of office. Separately, he is under FBI investigation over accusations that he used his power to help a donor. The donor was indicted in a federal court in Austin last month on charges of making false statements to banks.
Mr. Paxton’s defense team has said he will not testify in his impeachment trial and has pleaded not guilty.
“That is why Attorney General Paxton will not dignify the illegal House action by testifying,” attorney Tony Buzbee said in a statement. “We will not bow to their evil, illegal, and unprecedented weaponization of state power in the Senate chamber.”
Each article of impeachment will be voted on separately by senators. If two-thirds of the present senators accept an article, it will be entered as a conviction.
It will be counted as an acquittal if it fails to reach two-thirds. If any article of impeachment is entered as a conviction, the House board of managers can ask for the judgment to disqualify Mr. Paxton from office, which would also require approval by two-thirds of the present senators.
After the votes, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, told senators, their staff, and others involved in the court of impeachment to refrain from discussing the merits of the case with others, including Mr. Paxton, his lawyers, and lawyers for the House impeachment managers.
“We actually have to address the issues,” Mr. Patrick told Dallas radio host Mark Davis. “If not, they could keep Ken Paxton from doing his job forever. … In general, we have to deal with it.”
“No member of the court, or the presiding officer of the court, shall advocate a position on the merits of the proceedings to other court members or the presiding officer of the court until such a time as deliberations shall begin,” Mr. Patrick said.
