Tag Archives: corruption

Austin’s CBS News affiliate reports: The Texas House of Representatives voted to adopt 20 articles of impeachment against the attorney general over Memorial Day weekend. Those articles included charges of constitutional bribery, disregard of official duty and misapplication of public resources. Paxton’s relationship with real estate developer and campaign donor Nate Paul were at the heart of the allegations made …

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 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 …

Reuters reports: Brazil’s Supreme Court on Saturday authorized a cooperation deal between former President Jair Bolsonaro’s former aide and the country’s Federal Police, tightening the vice on the ex-leader who faces multiple criminal probes that could land him in jail. He has already been ruled politically ineligible until 2030 by Brazil’s federal electoral court. The aide, Mauro Cid, has been …

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 …

Courthouse News reports: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito released a sharp statement on Friday, rebutting a request from lawmakers to step down from an upcoming tax case after he gave an interview with an attorney involved in the matter. In July, Alito sat for an interview with David Rivkin Jr. and James Taranto to discuss the workings of the court. …

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: Ken Paxton, the state’s embattled suspended attorney general, took jabs at his political opponents — including members of his own party — during a rare public appearance Saturday on the eve on his historic impeachment trial that begins next week. Paxton is under a gag order that prevents him from discussing the trial that begins Tuesday. …

The Associated Press reports: Last year, Paxton’s travels were extensive. Records show that after winning a Republican primary runoff against George P. Bush — who cast Paxton as unfit for office — Paxton spent two months flying to cities in the Caribbean and Europe. It’s unclear who paid for Paxton’s travel, but the trips cost taxpayers a combined $91,000 for …

The Washington Post reports: The Florida governor’s fundraisers hoped that nine lobbyists would raise at least $1 million each for DeSantis’s political action committee, the state and the Republican Governors Association, according to the document, which was drafted by Heather Barker, a top DeSantis aide and his primary fundraiser, and shared with others. To help them haul in large sums …

Axois reports: A group of leading House Democrats on Friday called for the Justice Department to open an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Calls by Democratic lawmakers for the court to conduct an internal inquiry into Thomas’ lavish donor-funded trips, as well as their efforts to conduct their own probe, have been met with stonewalling. “We write to …

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 …

ProPublica reports: During his three decades on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas has enjoyed steady access to a lifestyle most Americans can only imagine. A cadre of industry titans and ultrawealthy executives have treated him to far-flung vacations aboard their yachts, ushered him into the premium suites at sporting events and sent their private jets to fetch him — including, …

The New York Times reports: His Prevost Marathon cost $267,230, according to title history records obtained by The New York Times. And Justice Thomas, who in the ensuing years would tell friends how he had scrimped and saved to afford the motor coach, did not buy it on his own. In fact, the purchase was underwritten, at least in part, …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: If it hadn’t been for a fender bender on Interstate 75 near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Tuesday morning, most folks wouldn’t know that Gov. Ron DeSantis was using state government vehicles for his 2024 run for president. Tuesday’s four-vehicle collision on the way to a campaign fundraiser draws a curtain back on the campaign’s use of state resources. …

The Texas Tribune reports: Lawyers for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton are pushing to disqualify three Democratic state senators as jurors in his upcoming impeachment trial. Paxton’s lawyers filed a motion Friday that asks Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to disqualify Sens. Nathan Johnson of Dallas, Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio and José Menéndez of San Antonio, arguing they have a …

The Texas Tribune reports: A vote to impeach Paxton, Jonathan Stickland wrote on Twitter, “is a decision to have a primary.” “Wait till you see my PAC budget,” he later added. Stickland is the leader of Defend Texas Liberty, a political action committee that has donated millions of dollars to far-right candidates in the state. It is a key part …

The Guardian reports: Several lawyers who have had business before the Supreme Court, including one who successfully argued to end race-conscious admissions at universities, paid money to a top aide to Justice Clarence Thomas, according to the aide’s Venmo transactions. The payments appear to have been made in connection to Thomas’s 2019 Christmas party. The payments to Rajan Vasisht, who …

NBC News reports: In the four years since DeSantis took office, his administration has routinely stonewalled the release of public records, approved a slew of new legal exceptions aimed at keeping more information out of the public eye, and waged legal battles against open government advocates, the press and other watchdogs. DeSantis, a Harvard-educated lawyer and former U.S. attorney, is …

The Associated Press reports: Ohio lobbyist Matt Borges was sentenced Friday to five years in prison and three years of probation for his part in the largest corruption scandal in Ohio history, a sentence the former Ohio Republican Party chair vowed to appeal. The punishment by U.S. District Judge Timothy Black came just a day after former Republican Ohio House …