Scandal

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Senators will being voting on impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton’s fate at 11:10 a.m. Saturday. They deliberated 16 articles of impeachment for more than seven hours Friday. Paxton is accused of misusing the powers of the attorney general’s office to help his friend and donor Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor who was under …

The Associated Press reports: Deliberations in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ‘s impeachment trial carried into a second day Saturday as a jury of mostly Republican senators decide whether to convict one of their party’s most powerful figures on corruption charges. The ongoing talks behind closed doors fed a rare lack of assurance about how a vote might go in …

The Texas Tribune reports: The impeachment case against suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton has gone to the jury. Texas Senators will vote on 16 articles of impeachment. He is accused of misusing the powers of the attorney general’s office to help his friend and donor Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor who was under federal investigation. The House impeachment …

The Meidas Touch reports: According to a new report from the Daily Mail, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski have been having “a years-long clandestine affair.” The Republican governor has been married to her spouse Byron Noem for more than 30 years. Lewandowski has been married to his wife Alison for more than 15 years. Kristi …

The Texas Tribune reports: Laura Olson, the woman with whom suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton allegedly had an affair, is expected to take the witness stand Wednesday after 3 p.m. The prosecution attempted to call Olson as their first witness on Wednesday, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said she was not eligible to testify yet because she had not been …

The Associated Press reports: A woman with whom Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is said to have had an extramarital affair was expected to give public testimony Wednesday, setting up a dramatic moment in the Republican’s impeachment trial on charges of corruption and bribery. The affair is central to the historic proceedings and accusations that Paxton misused his power to …

The Hill reports: The former chief of staff in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office testified on Monday about the top law enforcement officer’s alleged affair as his historic impeachment trial continues into its second week. Katherine “Missy” Minter Cary recalled giving Paxton “ethics advice” about the risks of an extramarital affair and warned that the office morale was being …

The Texas Tribune reports: Whistleblower Ryan Vassar revealed during testimony Friday morning that the attorney general’s office kept a “blacklist” of reporters whom they “handled differently than other reporters.” Vassar testified that Dallas Morning News reporter Lauren McGaughy, who has covered the attorney general’s office for a decade, was on that list. The revelation came during the cross examination of …

The Texas Tribune reports: Jeff Mateer, the former second-in-command under suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, testified Wednesday that Paxton’s relationship with real estate investor Nate Paul was so alarming that Mateer was concerned the attorney general was being blackmailed. Mateer said a turning point came when he learned that Paxton had resumed an extramarital affair with a woman who was …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Senate on Tuesday rejected all of Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to dismiss the articles of impeachment against him, moving forward with the first removal proceeding against a statewide elected official in more than a century. The rapid-fire series of votes on 16 pretrial motions made clear that senators want to at least hear …

The Texas Tribune reports: Ken Paxton arrived on the Texas Senate floor around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and huddled with his attorneys. It was previously unclear if Paxton would be present for his impeachment trial, and his attorneys have vowed that he will not testify. Under Senate trial rules approved in June, the presiding officer — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — …

The Texas Tribune reports: The impeachment trial for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Senate chamber of the Texas Capitol. The Senate gallery will be open to the public daily, beginning at 8 a.m., with tickets distributed for the morning session on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 7:30 a.m. on …

The Hill reports: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has disclosed three trips he accepted from billionaire Harlan Crow last year, according to documents made public Thursday. Thomas has denied any wrongdoing in accepting the trips, two of which were to Dallas and one to Keese Mill, N.Y. His new financial disclosure form also includes supplemental information about a 2014 real …

The Daily Beast reports: Embattled conservative activist Matt Schlapp made an offer in March to settle the multimillion-dollar sexual battery and defamation lawsuit against him, but the proposal was rejected, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the matter. The offer from Schlapp was in the low six figures, according to the sources. But Schlapp’s accuser—Republican strategist Carlton Huffman, …

The Washington Post reports: A senior board member of the parent organization behind the prominent Conservative Political Action Conference who resigned on Friday urged an independent investigation into additional allegations of sexual misconduct against Chairman Matt Schlapp. Earlier this year, Schlapp was sued for alleged sexual battery and defamation by a Republican campaign operative who claimed that the CPAC leader …

Reuters reports: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro faced mounting legal pressure on Friday, as police probed his personal finances and communications while a jailed former aide mulled testifying about his role in a Rolex-peddling scheme allegedly masterminded by the ex-president. On Thursday morning, in a televised congressional probe into the Jan. 8 insurrection, a computer programmer told lawmakers that Bolsonaro …

The Nation reports: James O’Keefe, the founder and until this past February CEO of the right-wing nonprofit Project Veritas, is currently under investigation by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. While the exact nature of the investigation is not yet public, the timing would suggest that it relates to O’Keefe’s alleged financial improprieties during his tenure as the group’s chairman …

Bloomberg News reports: Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was formally charged with providing false testimony to a parliamentary committee investigating government corruption. White collar investigators at Austria’s Justice Ministry said Friday that Kurz could face as many as three years in jail if found guilty, according to an emailed statement. Authorities had been probing statements made by Kurz in relation …

The Associated Press reports: Tennessee pastor Willie McLaurin, who leads the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, resigned Thursday from his position as interim president and chief executive after it came to light that he presented false information about his educational qualifications on his resume. The Executive Committee’s hiring team was considering McLaurin as a candidate to permanently replace former chief …

The Associated Press reports: The Mississippi Supreme Court says it will not remove former NFL quarterback Brett Favre as a defendant in a civil lawsuit that seeks to recover millions of dollars of misspent welfare money meant to help some of the poorest people in the United States. A panel of three justices issued a brief ruling Wednesday, denying an …