Letters to the Editor Sep. 19, 2023 Updated: Sep. 19, 2023 6:13 p.m. Comments

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, center, sits between defense attorneys Tony Buzbee, left, and Mitch Little, right, before starting the ninth day of his impeachment trial in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Austin, Texas.

Sam Owens/Sam Owens/Pool via San Antonio E

Party disappointment

Regarding “Texas Senate acquits Ken Paxton of impeachment charges, reinstating him as attorney general,” (Sept. 16): I’m ashamed of my party. I voted for Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and have been an ardent supporter of the Republican Party for more than 70 years. I remember when Republican principles included honor, integrity and honesty. Now, the party is controlled by immoral and dangerous men such as Donald Trump and Ken Paxton.

The Republican senators of Texas had the opportunity to do the right thing, but they sold out to sleaze and corruption.

Cooper Slay, Houston

So most of the Republicans in the Texas Senate cowered and capitulated to the GOP powers-that-be to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment. Saving their own political skin from retaliation was clearly the main priority. Paxton emerges from this trial stronger than ever.

An analogy that comes to mind is of a resistant strain of deadly bacteria that can no longer be eradicated by stronger and stronger antibiotics. Each opportunity for Texas to rid itself of Paxton — through elections or impeachment — has failed. It’s a mystery to me how voters ignored Paxton’s dirty laundry and returned him to office, again and again. Even scarier, the office of the attorney general has no term limits!

A glimmer of hope remains in Paxton’s upcoming securities fraud trial and a pending federal corruption investigation. Hopefully, Texas can finally rid itself of this particularly resistant strain of political vermin. If not, there’s always the next election. 

Linda Rehm, Houston

Regarding “Paxton’s acquittal set off immediate Texas GOP infighting,” (Sept. 16): It’s amusing that Paxton tosses about “kangaroo court” when he so clearly fails to understand the complete definition which can certainly, as in this case, include a biased preordained jury in his favor. In an ordinary court there is careful attention paid to selecting, as much as possible, an unbiased jury. Here we had a highly biased partisan jury that was pre-selected with little chance it would decide against him, fitting well the definition of a kangaroo court. So, in this rare instance, I would agree with him. He indeed had a kangaroo court, but this one acquitted him. House Speaker Dade Phelan only handled the indictment.

R. Wiemer, Houston

The party of family values, ethics and integrity has shown its true colors — again. But what can one expect from a party led by a man who boasts multiple mistresses, allegedly had at least one child born out of wedlock and was found liable for sexual abuse? Did our fine Texas senators really believe that Paxton’s conduct was acceptable or are they just worried about the skeletons in their own closets?

Janet A. Nussbaum, Houston

Regarding “How did AG Ken Paxton’s fellow Republicans vote in his impeachment trial?,” (Sept. 16): The acquittal of Paxton is the most blatant, disgusting example of partisan politics I have witnessed in all of my 83 years. We elect our senators to represent us. Of our 31 senators, only two Republican senators represented their constituents in these proceedings. 

Paxton was elected to office largely because so many voters look at nothing more than name recognition and party. The Republican senators who voted for acquittal voted for their own reelection support, to pay back favors or because they found nothing wrong with Paxton’s reckless disregard of his public responsibilities. An acquittal vote is a vote condoning such irresponsibility.

As a lifelong Republican, I am ashamed and greatly disappointed with my party. I no longer contribute to them and likely will not vote Republican in the future. I am sharing my feelings with all of my Republican friends (most who feel pretty much as I do).

Bob Leilich, The Woodlands

In 1998, conservative icon Bill Bennett wrote a book called “The Death of Outrage,” about the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, decrying the fact that, unlike he and other rule-of-law conservatives, D.C. liberals and much of the general public weren’t sufficiently outraged by the then-president’s actions. Fast forward 25 years and now it is Texas conservatives and their supporters who are totally unbothered by a politician’s egregiously unethical abuse of office and, oh yeah, that politician’s marital infidelity.

In the background of all this, we have an ethically challenged former president, twice-impeached and facing multiple indictments, leading the Republican primary field by 50 points.

You do have to worry about the future of a country where impeachments and indictments can be twisted into badges of honor, and where a large segment of the population will enthusiastically rally around those proudly wearing the badges.

David Bradley, Spring

It seems that every other day we have a new reason to be embarrassed by our GOP “leaders” in Texas. Saturday was no exception.

I never believed that there was a chance that the Republican leaders in the state Senate were going to let their buddy Paxton be found guilty in the impeachment trial. I can only imagine the threats that were hurled behind closed doors.

I only hope that Texans can start to see how power truly does corrupt and that I can live long enough to have pride in my state again. They say that young people are the ones who are going to turn the tide on all of the ugliness in our state and our nation. I hope that is true.

B. Willis, Iowa Colony

All hat, no cattle

Regarding “Paxton’s acquittal set off immediate Texas GOP infighting,” (Sept. 16): As a Texas citizen, I decided to make my own decision regarding Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment. I watched the entire trial (live-streaming from KHOU-11+). The evidence presented to support the impeachment articles was meticulous, well-organized and overwhelming: legal documents, text messages, emails, cellphone records, invoices, photographs, eyewitness testimony from high-level officials and Paxton’s inner circle — all verifying the unethical, immoral and criminal allegations.

Paxton’s defense team seemed to have blindfolds and ear plugs, concentrating only on personal attacks on the witnesses but doing almost nothing to counter the evidence. Sixteen Republican senators voted in a strictly partisan manner to acquit Paxton, with seemingly no regard for the facts. 

Paxton used the power of his office to facilitate alleged cheating on his wife, betray the nearly 4.3 million Texans who voted for him in 2022 and make a mockery of the attorney general’s office. Shame!

R. Graves, Houston

The Paxton impeachment trial appeared to be somewhat similar to the NFL Pro Bowl. The greatest names in the business (mostly Houston lawyers), lots of deep throws, plenty of scoring and a few memorable sound bites. Actual blocking and tackling? Not so much.

Norm Revis, Houston

Kudos to the Texas House Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton and who presented clear evidence that Paxton is corrupt. The Texas Senate Republicans who acquitted Paxton have done Texas great damage. Previously, Texans snickered over corruption in states such as Illinois and Louisiana, but at least over there the guilty ones ended up in disgrace or in prison. Now that it’s obvious many of our political leaders wink at flagrant corruption, I believe it will take a long time to clean up our state’s reputation. 

David J. Maschek, Sugar Land

Money talks

Regarding “Acquitted AG Paxton got off and Texas politics is Dunn for (Editorial),” (Sept. 16): Thank you for your excellent editorial and for pointing out the outsized influence/stranglehold that Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks have on Texas politics. This needs to be covered more fully. CNN ran a special in June 2022 about Dunn and Wilks called “Deep in the Pockets of Texas.” It’s available on YouTube for anyone who wants to learn more about them and how they operate. 

Julie Marinucci, Houston

The Paxton trial is proof, once again, that rich white men have their own set of laws. They’re based on money.

J. Bailey, Utopia

Before the Paxton impeachment trial, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick received a $1 million contribution and a $2 million loan to his campaign from Defend Texas Liberty. The PAC is primarily funded by Tim Dunn and the Wilks family.

Let’s pause for a moment and let this sink in.

Bobby Baker, Kingwood

It can’t be made more obvious: In Texas, the Republican Party is bought and paid for by two West Texas billionaires. I have never been more ashamed to be a Texan.

Jay Tombaugh, Magnolia

As they say, “You get what you pay for,” and Texas is stuck with what we paid for. It’s disappointing but not surprising that the Senate couldn’t get to 21 votes on a single count.  

The trial was pretty much a circus with a colorful cast of characters. Slick AG defendant and said defendant’s senator wife, and a judge with political and financial ties to the defendant. Then there were the whistleblowers — a famous Texas Ranger, stiffed outside counsel, a high-powered attorney — and, in the wings, a big political donor wielding a lot of power. And, of course, the alleged mistress. You can’t make this stuff up.  

So it seems we are back where we started. Abbott, Patrick and Paxton, with no limits. Molly Ivins, we need you now.

Sammye Larson, Houston

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/letters/article/ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-attorney-general-tx-18374156.php?sid=59a70dfc24c17c0f2e7606e1&ss=A&st_rid=8721a3ae-18bd-485e-8295-35f8e6048c4c&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_campaign=HC_The713Evening