Bay Area Houston

This is boring me to tears.

The Texas Tribune has a great recap. Here are my snarky comments.

Once again the witnesses for the State were solid, right wing, “conservatives” and the Buzbee Bunch defending Paxton was grasping for straws on minute details hoping to give republican Senators a way to justify saying “I have my doubts”. His attorneys hammered the witnesses, unsuccessfully, on the letterhead that was used to fire an attorney that Paxton hired illegally to intervene in a suit his staff had warned Paxton not to get involved in.

They hammered one of the witnesses for not taking aside the “gentle, kind” Paxton prior to going to the FBI and telling him they were going to the FBI. Those who went to the FBI were later fired, or demoted. They left the office, sued Paxton, and was to receive a $3 Million settlement.

Most of the time I was left with the question “What is your point?”. The witnesses were solid. They gave Paxton multiple opportunities to remove himself from Nat Pauls dealings and lawsuits. He refused so they went to the FBI. Witnesses were hammered, unsuccessfully, about them going to the FBI without evidence of a crime yet they had been for days detailing their concerns. The FBI was to validate the complaint, determine if it has merit, and then investigate. The FBI will find the evidence, not the staff.

The defense is just trying to give republican senators an opportunity to let Paxton off the hook. Any little reason will do. Anything no matter how minute it is.

Count on it.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial starts today. The trial will be televised and all Texans will have the opportunity to see the evidence against Paxton but they won’t. Most don’t care. Neither do the Republicans in the Senate.

If you haven’t been paying attention, their leader, Donald Trump, attempted to black mail the leader of Ukraine. Then he instigated a riot on the United States Capitol. He was impeached twice yet the republicans let him off the hook. Twice. If you think Texas Republicans in the Senate is going to vote to remove Paxton you really haven’t been paying attention.

This isn’t a criminal trial, that will come later. This is a trial to determine if Paxton is honorable enough to hold the office of top attorney. “Honorable” means nothing to republicans. Absolutely nothing. Evidence that will be provided will show Paxton had an affair and shared privileged information with a friend, Nate Paul, who moved his mistress to Austin. He hired an unqualified attorney from Houston, a referral from Nate Paul, to investigate a non-profit who was in litigation with Paul. That attorney issued 29 subpoenas and identified himself as a “Special Prosecutor”. Paxton’s staff squashed the subpoenas and ended the contract with the attorney.

The fact that he had an affair, compromised his position as lead attorney, and lied about it to his wife, a fellow Senator, would have been enough for Republicans to throw his rotten ass out the door. But that was prior to Trump. That was when Republicans actually were “conservative”, honorable, and moral.

Today the Republican Party leaders are just a bunch of low life, lying, cheating, stealing, adulterer sympathizer, excuse making, rotten bunch of fucking bastards. They will let Paxton off.

Count on it. You can watch the Republican Party crap itself live on the Senate website.