A Colorado judge has rejected claims from civil and voting rights organizations that Donald Trump supporters intimidated voters when they went door-to-door searching for fraud following the 2020 election.

The leaders of a Texas-based group that has promoted election conspiracy theories and provided research for a widely debunked documentary that alleged widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election have been jailed.

DALLAS – The FBI recently opened a criminal investigation into claims that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton abused his office to benefit a wealthy donor. Paxton, a 57-year-old lawyer, was a Texas legislator before he became the state attorney general in 2015. Seven senior lawyers in Paxton's office reported him to the FBI in late September, accusing him of abusing his office, bribery and other crimes. In another request for a criminal investigation that reached Paxton's office, Paul claimed businessmen and another judge were conspiring to steal $200 million worth of his properties. But the latter is rare in Texas and the attorney general has a defender in his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton.

Spokespersons for the attorney general did not respond to questions Thursday. Under questioning during the deposition, Paul said he did not know how the woman he hired and the attorney general knew each other. The move prompted the remarkable rebellion by seven senior lawyers on his staff, who since reporting the attorney general to federal authorities have all resigned, been put on leave or fired. During the deposition, Paul said the former Senate aide applied for a posted job and now works for him as a project manager. The attorney general told the group he had an affair but had since ended it and recommitted to his marriage, the person said.

The developer accuses 11 people of an intricate fraud that was allegedly set to include the judge and another court-appointed official facilitating a “rigged auction." The signed, 10-page “request to investigate" is one of two from Paul that were referred to Paxton’s office, setting off the remarkable revolt by the Republican’s staff. Paul’s complaint is largely based on things he says he heard second-hand. The second was sent to Cammack because he was already looking into Paul's allegations and it dealt with a federal judge, Moore told AP. Moore said she personally reviewed Paul’s claims only after the allegations by Paxton’s staff became public.

In a letter sent Sunday, a lawyer for Austin real estate developer Nate Paul wrote that Paxton's staff was always hostile to the probe. Paul’s attorney, Michael Wynne, said he learned from media reports late Friday that the investigation was closed. “We were never contacted by the OAG regarding this apparently pressured decision, and as such question whether this was in fact an accurate and a legitimate communication from your office,” Wynne said. Paxton’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the letter. The judge said Wynne sued on behalf of shell companies controlled by Paul and created to intervene in the case.

DALLAS – When Texas’ attorney general needed someone to probe a claim by one of his wealthy political donors alleging crimes by the FBI, he turned to a junior Houston lawyer with no prosecutorial experience, a modest criminal defense practice and ties to the donor’s defense attorney. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said his own staff had been working to “impede the investigation” into real estate developer Nate Paul's allegations against federal law enforcement. And social media posts show Cammack and Paul’s defense attorney, Michael Wynne, are connected on Facebook and are both part of a Houston civics organization. Paxton’s choice of outside counsel raises further questions about a decision that has deepened political, and possibly legal, trouble for the attorney general. Michael Wynne, Paul's attorney and a former federal prosecutor, is the chair of the Houston Bar Association’s criminal law and procedure section, and Cammack was elected to serve in that role next.