It’s time for real ethics reform so that Texans know who pays their politicians. It’s no surprise we have an Attorney General who looks the other way since he himself is indicted for defrauding his friends and clients.
As Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton has failed in his duty to protect the people of Texas from malfeasance and corruption. Instead, Paxton has been the very face of corrupt and self-dealing policies.
Ken Paxton has been criminally accused of violating the same laws he is sworn to enforce:
- Paxton has been under indictment for two counts of felony securities fraud and one count of failing to register as an investment advisor throughout his entire tenure as Attorney General.
- Paxton is the only statewide elected official in Texas who has ever run for re-election while under indictment.
Ken Paxton has used his office to personally financially profit:
- Paxton was investigated by a grand jury for using insider information to profit from a land deal.
- Paxton has grown his net worth from $30,000 to more than $3 million while working as a public servant for the people of Texas. As one Republican advertisement this year stated, “public service pays surprisingly well” for him.
- Paxton has accepted gifts, including tickets to the Grammys, from registered lobbyists.
- Paxton has accepted gifts, including trips, from executives in the industries he is supposed to, but has not, regulated.
Ken Paxton has used the office to benefit himself and his friends at the expense of Texans, only taking action when it suits his bottom line:
- Paxton worked to limit the legal rights of Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) policyholders while having taken over $300,000 from the insurance industry, including trips from insurance executives.
- Paxton voted for an appropriations bill that gave a police camera company he owned a lucrative contract.
- Paxton accepted a $1 million loan from the right-wing group Empower Texans. He has since refused to defend the Texas Ethics Commission against the very same group, costing Texas taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Ken Paxton’s job is to protect Texas consumers. He has declined to do so, instead choosing to line his own pockets:
- Paxton failed to police Texas’s worst-in-the-nation nursing homes while taking hundreds of thousands from the industry and owning five nursing homes himself.
- Paxton failed to prosecute predatory payday lenders while taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the industry.
