AG Paxton Walks Back Voter Fraud Claims To Save His Own Career

Salon: “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, an ardent Trump supporter who was the lead plaintiff in a last-ditch Supreme Court case aimed at overturning the 2020 election, appears to be backing away from his past claims of widespread election fraud.” 

Accountable.US: “Paxton made his bed, now he has to lie in it” 

Washington, D.C. — Disgraced Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is privately trying to distance himself from his own claims about widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election as ethics probes and allegations surrounding his behavior put his legal license in jeopardy, Salon reports. 

“Ken Paxton is one of the prime architects behind The Big Lie and the lawsuit that attempted to overturn the results of a democratically-held election, all because his preferred candidate didn’t win. That alone should be enough for disbarment,” said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US. “Publicly, Paxton wants to please the twice-impeached former president and his right-wing fan base, but privately, he’s trying to save his own skin and sullied reputation. For Paxton, there’s no expunging the public record: he made his bed, now he has to lie in it.”

Earlier this month, during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Paxton reiterated his false claims of widespread voter fraud in front of a large audience. What he failed to mention is that the Supreme Court threw out his frivolous lawsuit for lack of standing and for failing to provide evidence of the widespread voter fraud he alleged, and that these claims have landed him in trouble with several members of the Texas bar. The complaint argues that Paxton should face professional discipline over his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, with his peers calling his actions “both frivolous and unethical.”

Ken Paxton has been under legal investigation throughout the entirety of his tenure as Texas’ attorney general. He is currently preparing to stand trial for felony fraud charges and bribery, and is also under investigation by the state’s bar association for his attempt to overturn the 2020 general election in favor of former President Trump. If his claims of election fraud are found to be false or misleading, Paxton could face discipline or disbarment. 

Paxton and 12 other state AGs were selected as top “Enemies of Progress” by government watchdog Accountable.US earlier this month for using their office to prevent progress on some of the country’s toughest issues, including protecting democracy and the right to vote, expanding access to health care, and rebuilding the economy in the wake of COVID-19. Read more about the campaign here. 

Read more from Salon here. 

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