Report “Clearing” Paxton Made By Firm On State Payroll

The Austin Statesman reports:

In May, moments after the Texas House voted to impeach state Attorney General Ken Paxton, his office released an “outside” report produced by a private law firm that asserted his innocence against some of the allegations levied against him.

What Paxton and his office did not say: The law firm that produced the report, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, has been paid more than $500,000 in public money to defend him against whistleblowers who sued the agency for wrongful termination because they went to the FBI with allegations of corruption.

The outside firm never interviewed Paxton or key agency leaders who attorneys acknowledged could have provided useful information. Nevertheless, findings from the 56-page report conclude that the firings were likely lawful.

Read the full article.

‘Outside’ report? Law firm that wrote it to defend Ken Paxton was paid $500K by Texas AG https://t.co/ScGBmLaWRx

— Austin Statesman (@statesman) July 2, 2023