Texas Lt. Gov. requests special audit on cost of Paxton impeachment trial
AUSTIN (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is requesting a special audit on the total cost of the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Patrick announced Monday he sent a letter to the State Auditor requesting the audit. Paxton was acquitted Saturday and reinstated.
The Lt. Gov. said he wants to determine the absolute cost to the state from the time preparations began to the conclusion of the trial.
After the trial concluded Saturday, Patrick said he planned to call for "a full audit of all taxpayer money spent by the House from the beginning of their investigation in March to the final bill they get from their lawyers."
The audit is to include the total amount of financial expenditures, encumbrances and future unpaid obligations by the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Senate, and all other legislative entities for the time period beginning March 1, 2023, through October 15, 2023.
"We will provide our cost that was forced on us by the House impeachment," Patrick said Saturday.
