Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the state Senate and is presiding over Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial, received $3 million in support from Fort Worth-based
Defend Texas Liberty PAC.
The PAC, led by former state Rep. Jonathan Strickland (R), made a $1 million donation, along with a $2 million loan, to Mr. Patrick’s campaign fund, according to the campaign finance report published on July 19.
The group has declared the House impeachment of Mr. Paxton as a “sham.”
“While Dade [Phelan] and his Democrat friends push this sham #TXKangaroo Court Defend Texas Liberty is building the machine to move Texas even further to the right,” Defend Texas Liberty PAC wrote on
Twitter following the House’s vote to impeach Mr. Patrick.
The money reported for the quarter was raised over a 12-day period in June after a moratorium that barred Texas officials from fundraising during the regular legislative session was lifted on June 19.
Mr. Patrick, who is not up for re-election until 2026, had a cash-on-hand balance of more than $22 million as of June 30, according to the July 17 campaign finance report (
pdf).
“I was humbled by the outpouring of support for the work we have accomplished during the 88th Legislative Session. The grassroots and the business leaders across Texas agree with the direction Texas is heading,” Mr. Patrick said in a
news release on July 17. “I appreciate the financial support.”
Democrat Sen. Nathan Johnson accused the GOP PAC of attempting to influence Mr. Patrick in a reply to news of the campaign donation.
“This is obscene. If they’re attempting to influence the carrying out of our solemn constitutional duty to act impartially: shame on @DefendTXliberty,” Mr. Johnson tweeted.
Paxton’s Fundraising
Mr. Paxton raised more than $1.7 million in political contributions in less than two weeks following his impeachment by the Texas House of Representatives.The attorney general’s efforts have left him sitting on a pile of cash—nearly $2.8 million—as he awaits his impeachment trial, according to a campaign finance report filed on Monday (
pdf).
Many of the campaign donations are small amounts ranging from $1 to $100, the 517-page report filed July 17 shows.
“RINOS and far-left radicals have established a kangaroo court in the TX Lege. to eliminate America’s most conservative Attorney General. Help me fight back! Would you donate $1, $5, $50, [or] $100 today to show Austin you are in this fight w/me?” Mr. Paxton wrote on
Twitter, pinned to the top of his profile on June 19. The social media provided a link to donate.
But the bulk of the cash came from larger donations ranging from $500 to $150,000.
One donor from Woodway, Texas, contributed $500,000. The second largest amount of $250,000 came from an oilman in Midland, Texas.
Gag Order Issued
On Tuesday, June 18, Mr. Patrick issued a gag order scolding lawyers on both sides for inflammatory public comments ahead of the historic proceedings. Mr. Paxton is the third sitting official to be impeached in the state’s nearly 200-year history.“The court finds that individuals involved in the trial of impeachment will likely continue to make public prejudicial and inflammatory statements unless this order is issued,” Mr. Patrick wrote in the gag order issued on Monday, July 17 (
pdf).
The
gag order forced Mr. Paxton’s high-profile lawyer Tony Buzbee to cancel a news conference scheduled for Tuesday, July 18.
The Houston lawyer has accused House Speaker Dade Phelan of driving a “kangaroo court” and refusing to follow Mr. Patrick’s order to release all of the documents related to the impeachment.
Paxton’s Impeachment Accusations
The Republican-led state House of Representatives, in a vote of 121-23, impeached Mr. Paxton on May 27 during the final days of the Texas Legislature’s regular session.Two days later, the House sent 20 articles of impeachment against Mr. Paxton to the Senate, accusing him of bribery and abuse of public trust.
The House alleged that the suspended attorney general improperly issued legal opinions to benefit Austin-based real estate developer Nate Paul and subsequently fired whistleblower staffers.
In October 2020, eight top deputies in Mr. Paxton’s agency told the FBI that their boss used his position to help Mr. Paul, who had made a $25,000 donation to the attorney general’s re-election campaign two years earlier.
In February, the investigation was taken over by the Department of Justice, but no federal charges have been filed against Mr. Paxton.
Last month, Mr. Paul, who has been under
federal investigation since 2019, was
arrested on an eight-count felony indictment by a federal grand jury.
He is accused of lying about his financials and falsifying documents to acquire millions in loans. He is currently out of jail on bond, the
Texas Standard reported.
Mr. Paxton’s impeachment trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 5. The outcome will determine whether or not he will be permitted to return to work.
