The radio interviews came the morning after Paxton gave his first post-acquittal interview to Tucker Carlson, telling the former Fox News host he was “re-energized” after the acquittal.

It marked a screaming milestone in a two-decade political career that has seen Paxton harness the state’s increasingly conservative politics — and later the rise of Donald Trump — to stay in power longer than his vulnerabilities would suggest.

Those disappointed by the Senate vote, blame political polarization. Those pleased with the acquittal say the evidence fell short.

After spending two weeks listening to both sides make their case, Texas Senators voted to acquit Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment. Because of this vote, Paxton will remain in office.

Only two of 19 Republican Senators voted in favor of convicting for any article — a stark contrast to the more than 70% of House Republicans who impeached the attorney general in May.

Other public officials have begun weighing in after the attorney general was returned to his post as the state’s top lawyer.

Deliberations are expected to resume at 9 a.m. Saturday. Paxton is accused of misusing his office to help a friend and donor who was under federal investigation.

Watch a livestream of the attorney general’s impeachment trial and get the latest updates as senators weigh his political future.

A Paxton whistleblower testified that the attorney general took an unusual interest in Nate Paul’s litigation against a charity in 2020. Another said Paul benefited from an opinion on foreclosures.

“My heart broke for her,” Katherine “Missy” Cary said of Sen. Angela Paxton, Ken Paxton’s wife. Angela Paxton is disqualified from voting but has to attend the trial.

Jeff Mateer testified that Paxton was so intent on helping Austin real estate investor Nate Paul that he worried the attorney general was being blackmailed.

On the first day of the impeachment trial, senators rejected defense attorneys’ attempts to dismiss all 16 articles of impeachment. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also ruled that Ken Paxton couldn’t be forced to testify.

The impeachment trial that starts Tuesday is expected to center on Paxton’s infidelity, and could air out the sordid details of the staunch, Christian conservative’s life as he sits just yards away from his wife, and her 30 Senate colleagues.

Under rules previously adopted by the Texas Senate, the trial will feature crucial votes on dismissing articles of impeachment as well as testimony under oath, private deliberations by senator-jurors and votes conducted without debate or discussion.

Paxton named House Speaker Dade Phelan, a fellow Republican, in his brief remarks Saturday in North Texas. The suspended attorney general faces a trial Tuesday that would remove him from office permanently.

Lawyers for the suspended attorney general argue that compelled testimony would violate Paxton’s rights, but House impeachment managers disagree. The issue may be settled shortly after his trial begins.

Drew Wicker testified that he ferried documents to Nate Paul on behalf of his boss and witnessed conversations that suggested Paul was paying for the attorney general’s home renovations.

The suspended attorney general’s legal team argues that evidence of actions prior to January 2023, when he began his latest term, cannot be considered in the Senate impeachment trial.

The motion asks Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to block the senators from voting on articles of impeachment, arguing that past statements critical of the attorney general show unacceptable bias.

The Wall Street Journal says the impeached attorney general, his wife and a family trust spent nearly $3.5 million buying properties in four states in 2021 and 2022.

Sen. Angela Paxton will have no say in deliberations to convict or acquit impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton, but she will sit on the Senate court of impeachment. That means 21, not 20, votes will be needed to convict.

Supporters and opponents of impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton pressed for favorable rules governing a Senate trial that will begin on Sept. 5.

Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton will not be allowed to cast a vote in the impeachment trial of her husband, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Senators, who will sit as a court of impeachment for the suspended attorney general, spent two days drafting rules that were adopted late Wednesday.

Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton has broken her silence following her husband's impeachment but did not outright say whether she will recuse herself from voting in his upcoming trial.

Suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton faces charges of bribery and obstruction of justice in his upcoming impeachment trial before the Texas Senate.

The suspended attorney general’s political origins and rise to power began in the suburban North Texas county. But every House member from the county voted to impeach him.

The coming impeachment trial for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has a twist.

The long list of accusations were outlined as part of 20 charges of impeachment adopted by the Texas House.

Ken Paxton helped elect his wife, Angela, to the state Senate. That chamber will now consider whether to remove him from the attorney general’s office. She has not said whether she will recuse herself.

A Texas House committee has filed 20 articles of impeachment accusing attorney general of wrongdoing. Republicans’ attempts to remove one of their own sets up a dramatic intraparty showdown in the waning days of the 2023 regular legislative session.

Other legislation this session has targeted school library books, which are optional reading materials, but House Bill 1804 might be the first to go after textbooks that teachers use for their lessons.

Proponents of the bill say it will keep inappropriate material away from kids. Some librarians are concerned about the logistical challenges it could bring.

The authors of bills in both legislative chambers say their bills’ aim is simple: keeping sexually explicit content off school bookshelves. But opponents say the legislation is vague and broad enough to wreak havoc.

Paxton and the four whistleblowers asked the Texas Supreme Court to defer consideration of the case until they can finalize the settlement, after which they’ll move to end the case.

Garza remains the underdog, battling her own low name recognition and a fundraising disadvantage in an expensive statewide race that is already demanding considerable resources for travel and TV ads.

Called a “trigger” law, House Bill 1280 would take effect 30 days after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe decision or after a court ruling or constitutional amendment gave states the authority to prohibit abortions.

Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to the Gun Owners of America assembly in 2018. || Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas TribuneAt the height of last week’s winter storm that left millions of Texans without access to heat and clean water, Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, were out of state on a “previously planned” business trip to Utah, a spokesman confirmed. Follow up questions about whether the attorney general was back in Texas on Monday were not answered. News of Paxton's trip comes just days after fellow Republican state leader, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, was spotted flying to Cancún with his family. The Texas attorney general’s office has stayed in the headlines as of late.

Anti-abortion advocates have urged them to challenge the Roe v. Wade decision that established the right to an abortion. Ad“I'm not at all surprised to see the the number, the depth and the breadth of the abortion bills that have been filed,” she said. There are additional Texas abortion laws before the courts, including one that would restrict access to the most common way to end a pregnancy in the second trimester. Circuit Court of Appeals], we have an even better Supreme Court and we need to catch up,” he said. The 5th Circuit, which hears cases from Texas, is considered one of the most conservative courts in the nation.

A judge moved Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons case to Harris County years ago, after prosecutors said they could not get a fair trial in Collin County. REUTERS/Bill ClarkYears after it was sent to Harris County, the criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will move back to his native Collin County, a Harris County judge ruled Thursday. A judge moved Paxtons case to Harris County years ago, after prosecutors said they could not get a fair trial in Collin County, Paxtons home and former district from his time in the state Legislature. The two attorneys prosecuting Paxton, Brian Wice and Kent Schaffer, disputed that at a December hearing and said the case belongs in Harris County. But when the Texas State Securities Board reprimanded him for soliciting clients without being properly registered, he signed a disciplinary order without disputing its findings.