Bay Area Houston

I have to agree. They have nothing. Almost. The Texas Tribune had a very short recap here. (even they were bored)

The most drama moment in the trial was Tony Buzbee saying the defense rests. The rest was boring and I’m not even sure what the defense was trying to do beside bore the shit out of the jurors.

The prosecution needs to prove only 1 of 20 articles of impeachment for Paxton to be removed from office. From what I watched, and I watched much of the trial, the issue of hiring of Brandon Cammack to conduct that bogus investigation is the one that is easy to understand and was pretty clear. He should go down for that alone. Luckily he has a bunch of Senators who are afraid of their shadow and will let him off.

The defense rested their defense of Paxton with time to spare to call more witnesses. I was wondering who they were going to find to actually come to the defense of Paxton. They found a couple that did their best to bore the crap out of the jury. They did their job.

Closing arguments begin today.

It wasn’t the best day for the prosecution. The Texas Tribune has a great recap.

We were introduced to House lawyer Erin Epley yesterday. She was awesome. Fast, flowing and she took no shit from Oompa Loompa Tony Buzbee. The House should just let her close out the prosecution’s case because Rusty Hardin continues to be just plain awful.

The day focused on Paxton’s personal assistant, Drew Wicker, who was “like a son” to Paxton’s wife. He threw his dad under the bus but didn’t seem to enjoy it. He struggled to provide evidence that Nate Paul paid for Paxton’s home remodeling. Personally I thought this article of impeachment was going to be hard to prove, giving the Senators an out for voting to let him off by focusing on just one of the 20 articles of impeachment. That’s how they will justify their vote to the media and constituents. Focus only on one article of impeachment.

We also heard from his scheduler. He was clearly pissed. He filed suit against Paxton after being fired and refused to participate in a settlement. He didn’t want money. He wanted a public apology from Paxton and an acknowledgment that those who went to the FBI were not “rogue” attorneys. This was yet another strong, right wing, republican witness against Paxton.

Paxton’s mistress was waiting in the capitol to testify but was released after she said she would be taking the fifth. Rusty Hardin announced that the House had rest its case. He later realized he made a mistake.

Senators will probably start deliberations late Friday. They only need to rule in favor of 1 out of 20 articles to remove Paxton from office.

Used and abused. The Texas Tribune has an excellent recap here.

Paxton should be removed from office just for what he did to this young attorney who testified yesterday. One of the impeachment charges is that Paxton used his office to help a private citizen, Nate Paul. Brandon Cammack, an attorney from Houston, was hired by Paxton, even after his entire staff refused to do so, to investigate an issue on behalf of Paul. Cammack did the best he could with the incredible opportunity provided by Paxton. In the end Paxton and his new second in command, Brent Webster, took Cammack away from the Attorney Generals office, to a Starbucks, and fired him. They also told him he would have to “eat it” when he asked about being paid $14,000 for his time he spent on the investigation. Then they left him there to find his own way back to his car at the AGs office.

What an incredible dick. I actually felt sorry for the guy. Seriously who the fuck does that? Paxton had interviewed another attorney, former U.S. Attorney Joe Brown who had incredible credentials and experience. Instead Paxton personally hired Cammack, 5 years out of law school, who had never prosecuted a criminal case. Why? Because Paxton could control Cammack. Brown would have probably stopped any investigation Paxton sent him on and contacted the FBI. Cammack’s inexperience pushed him to issue 29 subpoenas even though he had no “badge” or paperwork giving him the authority and title of “Special Prosecutor”.

One of the attorneys who received a subpoena called the staff of Paxton and asked about Cammack. The staff had no idea that Cammack had been hired. They immediately had all the subpoenas squashed and sent a cease and desist order to Cammack. Cammack refused to move forward as he should have.

Paxton then invited him to have a cup of coffee.

Paxton was warned about Nate Paul over and over again by multiple people. Today the Director of Law Enforcement David Maxwell a 30 year veteran of the Texas Rangers testified. It’s just getting worse for Paxton.

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

Once again, the witnesses who testified today are right wing, “conservative”, republicans and they are rock solid. David Maxwell, a veteran of law enforcement, warned Paxton to stay away from Nate Paul. He refused to use the office of the Attorney General to investigate a non profit on behalf of Nate Paul. He testified that Paxton threatened to fire him if he didn’t. He never initiated the investigation and he was eventually fired.

Abbott’s defense once again was grasping at straws trying to nitpick his testimony. It didn’t work or it shouldn’t work. They tried to ask “Yes or No” questions that Maxwell couldn’t answer it was like this:
Defense: Is it dark outside, yes or no.
Maxwell: I can’t see outside.
Defense: OBJECTION! Yes or No!

The witnesses so far are pretty solid. Each have told the same sequence of events. Paxton was warned, by multiple people not to associate with Nate Paul, yet he did it anyway. The witnesses so far are the whistleblowers who eventually went to the FBI and reported Paxton. They were all fired or demoted and eventually filed suit against Paxton.

That suit settled for over $3 Million but the Texas House refused to pay it. More coming Monday.

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.