Week 2 of Ken Paxton's historic impeachment trial begins Monday morning
AUSTIN (CBSNewsTexas.com) - The historic impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton enters its second week at the Texas Capitol Monday morning.
Lawyers for the House Impeachment Managers haven't disclosed their next steps, but they will likely bring witnesses, including Paxton's executive assistant, to discuss the accusations of constitutional bribery against him.
Paxton is accused of 20 articles of impeachment for abusing his authority and power of his office at the public's expense to benefit himself and Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer who donated $25,000 to his campaign.
Lawyers for the House will likely focus this next week on the articles of impeachment that claim Paul paid for renovations to Paxton's Austin home and hired Paxton's alleged mistress to make it easier for him to see her.
After his lawyers entered a not-guilty plea for Paxton, he didn't show up for the trial and he doesn't have to according to the Senate's rules.
During the first week, four of Paxton's top former lieutenants he hired, Jeff Mateer, Ryan Bangert, Ryan Vassar, and David Maxwell testified against their former boss.
They said despite their repeated warnings to Paxton, he tried to help Paul by having them write a legal opinion, intervene in a lawsuit, and try to force them to launch an investigation into federal authorities who were looking into Paul.
Vassar, Paxton's former Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel, is among the former top deputies who went to the FBI three years ago this month about their concerns.
"The concern was it would only, General Paxton's use of the office would only continue to be more extreme to benefit Nate Paul and the potential for us to be labeled co-conspirators."
But cross-examination by Mitch Little, one of Paxton's lawyers, became a flashpoint for his supporters.
"That's the point of the good faith belief as we had no evidence that we could point to, but we had reasonable conclusions that we could draw," Vassar said.
Little raised his voice, asking Vassar, "You went to the FBI and reported the Attorney General to the state with no evidence, do I have that correct?"
"My opinion is our experiences were evidence, but we did not conduct our own investigation to provide documentary evidence of what we had come to learn," said Vassar.
Paxton has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
He is still reportedly under federal investigation.
The bottom line is this is a political trial, not a criminal trial.
Senators need 21 votes to convict Paxton on any one of the articles of impeachment, and if that happens, he will be removed from office permanently.
Stream the trial live in the player above or on our YouTube channel starting at 9 a.m.
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