TITLE: Extending a formal apology to Attorney General Ken Paxton.

SUMMARY: Extending a formal apology to Attorney General Ken Paxton.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, On September 16, 2023, the Texas Senate acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment considered in a two-week trial; and WHEREAS, The Senate also voted to dismiss four other articles of impeachment that the chamber agreed to set aside prior to the trial, which stemmed from secretive, rushed, and flawed proceedings in the Texas House in May 2023; and WHEREAS, Just two days after the House General Investigating Committee revealed that it had spent months surreptitiously scrutinizing the actions of Attorney General Paxton, it recommended impeachment; it failed to put witnesses under oath during its investigation and then failed to follow the rules of evidence in alleging wrongdoing, basing its case on hearsay that would never be admissible in a court of law; Attorney General Paxton was not given the opportunity to defend himself to the Investigating Committee; and WHEREAS, The House General Investigating Committee failed to provide House members with adequate time or means to evaluate the information it presented; the first impeachment of a statewide official in over a century proceeded at warp speed, and despite a complete lack of evidence, within two days, the House voted to impeach, causing Attorney General Paxton's automatic suspension from office pending a trial in the Senate; and WHEREAS, In September, the fair and deliberative Senate trial exposed the haste, flimsiness, and unfairness of the House impeachment process, and Attorney General Paxton was duly vindicated; the impeachment process in the House was a debacle that undermined its legitimacy and integrity, and in order to restore public faith, it must make amends for the grievous errors committed; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby extend a formal apology to Attorney General Ken Paxton; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Attorney General Ken Paxton as an expression of sincere contrition by the Texas House of Representatives.