More Finger Pointing As Paxton's Trial Expected To Cost $2M
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COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - There are more questions and finger pointing over hundreds of thousands of dollars Collin County taxpayers are plunking down for the prosecution of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Collin County Judge Keith Self and other members of the county commission passed a resolution Monday asking an appeals court if they are legally obligated to keep paying three prosecutors who have already submitted $254,000 in bills for a case that hasn't even gone to trial yet.
"The concern is going up so we wanted to address it," says Self.
Paxton is accused of violating securities laws over an investment deal involving a McKinney energy company when he was a state legislator.
"I have had a problem with the bills all along. Quite frankly it's not about who the defendant is, it's about defending the taxpayers," says Susan Fletcher, Collin County Commissioner.
McKinney resident Jeff Blackard believes the case is politically motivated and that taxpayers are paying the real price for it.
"Why are Collin County taxpayers paying these unbelievable amounts of money... basically for this political witch hunt," asks Blackard.
Blackard has accused one of the judges of cutting a "secret deal" with the prosecutors who bill the county for travel to and from Houston for numerous pre-trial hearings.
CBS 11 News has obtained notes from Collin County Commissioner Chris Hill where he writes Judge Becker told him he "never intended to make the amount public" because "there are just some people who don't need to know" because they "might be inclined to use the information in the wrong way."
Neither Judge Becker nor Judge Gallagher would respond to our questions.
The special prosecutors on the case have also told CBS 11 News no comment.
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