{"id":2032723,"date":"2023-09-15T02:37:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T06:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defense-rests-on-day-8-of-texas-ag-ken-paxtons-impeachment-trial\/"},"modified":"2023-09-15T02:41:13","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T06:41:13","slug":"defense-rests-on-day-8-of-texas-ag-ken-paxtons-impeachment-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defense-rests-on-day-8-of-texas-ag-ken-paxtons-impeachment-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas AG Ken Paxton&#8217;s impeachment trial concludes with the defense resting on Day 8."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdefense-rests-on-day-8-of-texas-ag-ken-paxtons-impeachment-trial%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2032723&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Impeachment\u2064 Trial of Texas Attorney\u2064 General Ken Paxton Resumes with\u2062 Defense&#8217;s\u200d First Witness<\/h2>\n<p>The impeachment\u2062 trial of \u200dTexas Attorney General Ken Paxton resumed on Thursday with the introduction of the defense&#8217;s \u200bfirst \u200cwitness.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200cdefense called\u200d on Justin Gordon, chief \u200bof the open records division at the Texas Attorney General&#8217;s Office (OAG), to take\u200d the stand on day eight of\u2062 the trial.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Gordon provided testimony about\u200c an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/impossible-gop-picked-up-seats-in-house-picked-up-state-legislatures-picked-up-governorship-held-the-senate-but-sniffy-joe-won-not-a-chance\/\" title=\"IMPOSSIBLE: GOP Picked Up Seats in House, Picked Up State Legislatures, Picked Up Governorship, Held the Senate -- But Sniffy Joe Won?... NOT A CHANCE\">open records request<\/a>\u200c his division\u2064 received on behalf of Nate Paul, \u200cwho has\u2063 been at the \u2063center of the \u2064accusation against Mr. Paxton.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/ag-ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-outside-lawyer-brandon-cammack-never-received-payment-5490164\">AG \u2064Ken Paxton Impeachment Trial: Outside Lawyer Brandon Cammack \u2063Never Received Payment<\/a> (9\/13\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/trump-voices-support-for-ken-paxton-amid-impeacment-5491469\">Trump Voices Support for Ken Paxton\u200b Amid Impeachment<\/a> (9\/14\/2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Earlier\u2064 this year, Mr. Paxton was\u2062 impeached by the\u2062 House in a vote of 123-21 on 20 articles \u200dof impeachment\u2062 that accuse\u2063 the Republican of abuse of power\u200d and bribery.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-what-to-know-ahead-of-texas-ag-ken-paxtons-historic-impeachment-trial\/\" title=\"Texas AG Ken Paxton's Impeachment Trial: Key Points to Remember\">suspended\u2062 attorney general<\/a> is facing possible removal from office if \u200dhe is \u200bconvicted on 16 of 20\u200c articles of impeachment. Four \u2064of the articles were held in abeyance.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday afternoon, after failing to successfully call witness Laura Olson, \u2064Mr. Paxton&#8217;s alleged mistress, the \u200dprosecution&#8217;s \u200blead attorney, Rusty Hardin, abruptly rested\u2063 their \u2062case.<\/p>\n<p>Defense attorney \u2064Tony\u2063 Buzbee then moved \u200dto\u200c end the trial on the \u200dgrounds of insufficient evidence but later withdrew \u2063the request without a vote shortly before the trial adjourned for the day.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Olson was the day&#8217;s\u200b first witness called by the House, but her testimony was\u200c delayed \u2063due to the short \u2062notice provided by the prosecution. \u2062The\u2062 trial rules require a full 24-hour notice to be provided.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;She is present but\u2062 has\u2062 been \u200ddeemed unavailable to testify,&#8221; Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, \u200badding that both\u2062 sides had agreed to\u2064 the decision.<\/p>\n<p>The House then called lawyer Ray Chester of the Mitte \u200dFoundation, followed by\u200d Mr. \u2063Paxton&#8217;s former executive assistant, Drew Wicker, and \u200dBlake Brickman, former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-lifers-seek-injunction-from-spiteful-illinois-law-meant-to-shut-down-pregnancy-centers\/\" title=\"Pro-life advocates seek injunction against Illinois law targeting pregnancy centers.\">deputy attorney \u2064general<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Mr.\u200d Brickman \u2062was one \u200bof the top aides who went to the FBI with\u200c accusations against Mr. Paxton. \u2064He was\u200d fired and later \u200cfiled a lawsuit against the\u200c attorney general \u200cfor wrongful firing, along with three other former staffers who \u200dwere fired.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Egregious&#8217; Behavior<\/h2>\n<p>OAG\u200b Human Resources Director Henry\u2062 De la Garza\u200c testified about the firing of four of the\u2064 whistleblowers. He told\u2062 the jury that the former deputies were\u200b fired for insubordination and other policy violations. The sixth article \u2064of impeachment\u200c accuses Mr. \u200dPaxton \u200bof terminating\u2063 the employees without good cause.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mr.\u200d De\u200b la Garza, who joined \u200dthe agency in 2008,\u200b said the &#8220;agency is an outstanding place to \u2063work.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In his testimony, he said he supported the decision to fire\u2062 Mr. \u2063Brickman, who had displayed &#8220;egregious&#8221; behavior, which was &#8220;pretty rare in our agency.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Based\u2062 on\u2063 the facts as presented \u2063to me and the \u200dapplicable law, especially about\u2062 political patronage,\u200d yes,\u2063 there didn&#8217;t seem to be a reasonable expectation that he could continue working with or for Brent \u2062Webster\u200c or continue serving as a high-level\u200c policymaker for the attorney general,&#8221; Mr. De la Garza said.<\/p>\n<p>The witness also testified that Mr.\u200b Webster\u2014not Mr. Paxton\u2014was responsible\u200c for firing the four whistleblowers\u2062 who \u2064did not\u200c resign\u200d after \u200dgoing to \u200dthe FBI.<\/p>\n<p>Under Texas law, employees can be\u200b terminated at will and without\u2064 cause.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But at the attorney general&#8217;s office, we ensure that \u2063there are good reasons\u2064 and that it&#8217;s fair,&#8221; Mr. De la Garza testified.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>He denied that any\u2064 of the\u200d former staffers were fired in retaliation.<\/p>\n<h2>Not \u2063a\u2064 &#8216;RINO&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Prior to Mr. De la \u200cGarza&#8217;s testimony, the defense\u2063 called Associate Deputy Attorney General Austin Kinghorn to the witness stand. Mr. Kinghorn testified that he\u2063 had\u200b never witnessed any wrongdoing\u2062 at\u2063 the OAG.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>He told \u2062the \u200cjury \u2062of senators that \u2063he had\u2064 received a promotion after Mr. Vassar was fired.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I accepted a promotion\u200b in \u200dthis \u2063agency at a\u200b very critical time,&#8221; Mr. Kinghorn said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And I assured\u2064 myself, and I\u200b assured my wife if there [was] ever anything that I saw\u2063 that [was] illegal or unethical, \u200cI would step away. I&#8217;m \u200cstill here. I&#8217;m proud of the work we do. I&#8217;m\u2064 proud to serve General Paxton. I&#8217;m proud\u2062 to be part of this agency.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Mr. Vassar testified that he\u2064 and\u2063 the other former staffers had\u200b no evidence when they \u200btook their allegations \u2062against Mr. Paxton \u200cto the\u200c FBI.\u2063 House attorney\u200b Rusty Hardin later walked the witness through a clarification that while\u200c they had no physical evidence to offer, they had provided their experiences as evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Defense \u200dlawyer Chris \u200dHilton \u2064asked Mr. Kinghorn if he\u200b was a &#8220;RINO,&#8221; meaning \u200c&#8221;Republican in \u200dName Only.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve \u2062been called a lot of\u200c four-letter words, \u2062and that&#8217;s not one of them,&#8221; Mr. Kinghorn responded.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Kinghorn told the jury that he was not\u200b involved in the hiring of outside Houston\u2062 lawyer Brandon Cammack, but he did follow\u200b up with him regarding an inquiry about processing the attorney&#8217;s invoices that totaled $14,000.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Cammack testified earlier\u200b this\u2062 week that he was never paid for the work\u200d he \u200bconducted on an investigation\u200b regarding the FBI&#8217;s\u200d raid of \u200bMr. Paul&#8217;s home and business.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Kinghorn said he \u2064informed Mr. Cammack that his invoices could not\u200b be paid until he \u2064had met the conditions of \u2062his contract. He said he never heard from Mr. Cammack again after that inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutor Erin Epley\u2062 asked\u200b Mr. Kinghorn whether he had been pressured\u200d to share with the defense information about his conversations with her.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Did you receive pressure from Chris \u2063Hilton or Jed Stone to provide you information in regards to our conversation?&#8221; Ms. Epley asked.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Not at\u2064 all,&#8221; he responded.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Epley\u2064 also focused on a remark Mr. Kinghorn had made about the OAG being a law firm.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the most important part of being a lawyer\u200d for\u2064 the\u200c state of Texas?&#8221; Ms. Epley \u200basked.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I would say the most important part of my job \u2063as a public servant is to faithfully serve \u200dmy principal and\u2064 the people of Texas,&#8221; Mr. Kinghorn said.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063lawyer then asked\u200c Mr.\u200d Kinghorn who he believed his client was.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The attorney general,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Would you believe me if \u200bI told you that when you\u200d work for the office of the \u2062attorney general, you are under his authority and\u2063 work for him,&#8221; Ms. Epley said. &#8220;The client \u2063is and only ever\u2063 is the \u2063state of Texas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The defense \u2064objected, citing the comment as argumentative.<\/p>\n<h2>Handling of Nate\u2063 Paul&#8217;s Open Records Request<\/h2>\n<p>The first witness \u200dof \u2064the day, Mr. Gordon, provided testimony regarding the open \u2063records request from \u200bthe Texas State Securities Board in 2019 on behalf\u200b of Nate Paul and a follow-up \u200brequest in 2020.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Two of the articles\u2064 of impeachment\u200d accuse \u2062Mr. Paxton of\u2062 misusing his office to help Mr. Paul regarding an open records request.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Paul&#8217;s home \u200dand business, World\u200b Class Holdings,\u200c were raided by the\u2062 FBI\u200c in 2019. The Texas Department of Public Safety\u200c (DPS) assisted in the raid.<\/p>\n<p>Mr.\u200c Gordon\u2063 said he met with Mr. Paxton to\u2063 discuss whether\u2063 or not to release \u2064the documents related to\u200d the search. He said that while it was the first \u200ctime Mr.\u2064 Paxton had gotten involved in a DPS \u200crecords request, he did not feel pressured by the\u200b attorney general to release the \u2062records.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Gordan said there were &#8220;violations&#8221; and &#8220;irregularities&#8221; pertaining to the FBI&#8217;s handling of multiple requests from Mr. Paul&#8217;s\u2063 lawyer.<\/p>\n<p>He said \u200dthe \u200cFBI missed \u2062deadlines and \u2063heavily redacted documents in\u200c one \u2064of \u2064its responses to the requests.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The new documents were substantially different than \u2062the documents that\u2062 had been originally\u200c submitted,&#8221; Mr. Gordon said.<\/p>\n<p>Deputy\u200b First Assistant Attorney General\u200d Grant Dorfman was the defense&#8217;s final witness before resting \u2063its case late\u2064 Thursday \u200bafternoon. Closing arguments are set\u2064 to \u2062begin at 9 a.m. on Friday.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200d How does the introduction of Mr. Gordon as a\u200c witness \u200dundermine the prosecution&#8217;s case, particularly in relation to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defense-rests-on-day-8-of-texas-ag-ken-paxtons-impeachment-trial\/\" title=\"Texas AG Ken Paxton's impeachment trial concludes with the defense resting on Day 8.\">open records request received<\/a> \u200don behalf \u2064of Nate Paul? What doubts does this testimony\u2062 raise regarding the\u200b validity of the allegations against Mr.\u200d Paxton<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Provided detailed \u2062testimony regarding the termination of the former deputies. \u2063He stated that the decision to fire \u2062them was based on their insubordination\u200b and violations \u2063of agency\u200d policies. According to \u2062Mr. De\u2062 la Garza, their behavior was \u200bdeemed &#8220;egregious&#8221; and warranted\u2062 their dismissal.<\/p>\n<p>The impeachment trial has been filled with\u200c contentious moments,\u2063 as\u2064 both sides present their arguments and evidence. The prosecution\u2064 alleges \u2064that Mr. \u2062Paxton abused \u200bhis power and accepted bribes,\u200d while \u2062the defense maintains that he is innocent. This trial\u2062 is not only a legal battle but also a political showdown, as the outcome could have significant implications for Texas politics.<\/p>\n<p>The introduction of Mr. Gordon as\u2064 the defense&#8217;s first\u2063 witness was a strategic \u200dmove to counter the \u2062accusations\u2062 against Mr. Paxton. As the chief\u2062 of the\u2064 open records \u2063division, Mr. Gordon provided insight into an open \u200crecords request \u2063received on behalf of \u200dNate Paul, \u200cwho \u2064has been at the center of the accusation against Mr.\u2064 Paxton. This testimony could potentially undermine the prosecution&#8217;s case and raise doubt about the \u200dvalidity of the allegations.<\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that the trial has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-dakota-gov-noem-endorses-trump-the-fighter-that-our-country-needs\/\" title=\"SD Gov. Noem backs Trump: 'The fighter our nation needs'\">garnered significant \u200cattention<\/a> both within Texas and beyond. The media\u200d has closely followed \u2063the \u200cproceedings, and public \u2064opinion on the matter is divided.\u2064 Supporters of\u200c Mr. Paxton argue that he is being unfairly targeted, while his critics believe that these allegations should be\u2064 thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200btrial took a surprising turn when\u200b the defense attempted to \u2062call Laura Olson as\u200c a witness. However, due to the prosecution&#8217;s failure to provide\u200d 24-hour notice, Ms. Olson was deemed\u2062 unavailable to testify. This setback is a reminder of the importance of proper\u200c procedure and adherence\u2063 to the trial rules.<\/p>\n<p>As the trial continues, \u200cit\u200b remains uncertain how it will ultimately unfold. The \u200cdefense will likely present more \u2062witnesses \u200cand evidence to challenge\u200c the accusations against Mr. Paxton. Meanwhile, the prosecution will continue its efforts\u2063 to prove his\u2063 guilt beyond a\u200d reasonable doubt.<\/p>\n<p>The impeachment trial of Texas \u200dAttorney General Ken Paxton is a significant event\u200b that has the potential \u200dto shape the future of\u2064 Texas \u200dpolitics. The \u2062outcome will have\u2063 far-reaching consequences, not only for Mr. Paxton but also for\u2062 the public&#8217;s perception of the state&#8217;s judicial system. As the trial \u200dprogresses, it is essential to maintain vigilance and ensure a fair \u200cand impartial process. Only \u2062then can a just verdict be reached\u2062 and the truth\u2062 be revealed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The impeachment trial of Texas AG Ken Paxton continued with the defense&#8217;s first witness, Justin Gordon. As the chief of the open records division at the OAG, Gordon testified about an open records request. This occurred on day eight of the trial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1556,"featured_media":2032724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2032723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1556"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2032723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2032724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2032723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2032723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2032723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}