{"id":2038803,"date":"2023-09-20T13:58:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T17:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-requests-full-audit-of-impeachment-process-against-ag-ken-paxton\/"},"modified":"2023-09-20T14:02:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T18:02:37","slug":"texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-requests-full-audit-of-impeachment-process-against-ag-ken-paxton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-requests-full-audit-of-impeachment-process-against-ag-ken-paxton\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick seeks complete audit of AG Ken Paxton&#8217;s impeachment process."},"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%2Ftexas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-requests-full-audit-of-impeachment-process-against-ag-ken-paxton%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=2038803&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--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has followed through on his promise to request \u2063an audit of the impeachment process of Attorney \u200dGeneral Ken Paxton, aiming to uncover the true cost to Texas taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We need \u200dto know the total expenses incurred from the beginning to the end of this \u200dtrial,&#8221; Mr. Patrick\u200c emphasized in\u200b a letter to\u2064 Texas State Auditor Lisa Collier on Sept. 18.<\/p>\n<p>The audit should encompass\u200b all\u200c costs, including investigators&#8217; fees, \u200bdocument production, attorney expenses, witness fees, and travel expenses, among others, according to the letter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/trump-and-others-react-to-ken-paxtons-impeachment-acquittal-5492770?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Trump\u200d and Others React to Ken\u200c Paxton&#8217;s Impeachment Acquittal<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/16\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/trump-and-others-react-to-ken-paxtons-impeachment-acquittal-5492770?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/texas-ag-ken-paxton-acquitted-on-all-16-articles-of-impeachment-5491525?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Texas AG Ken Paxton Acquitted on\u2064 All 16 Articles of Impeachment<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/16\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/texas-ag-ken-paxton-acquitted-on-all-16-articles-of-impeachment-5491525?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mr. Patrick has requested that the\u2064 audit cover all\u200c expenses incurred between\u2062 March 1 \u200band Oct.\u2062 15, 2023, and has urged the\u2062 Texas State Auditor&#8217;s Office to prioritize the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This impeachment\u200b has wasted millions\u200b of taxpayer dollars,&#8221; Mr. Patrick declared after Mr.\u200b Paxton&#8217;s acquittal and reinstatement to\u2063 office.\u200c &#8220;I will demand\u2062 a thorough audit of all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nearly-500-million-in-afghanistan-costs-were-called-into-question-by-oversight-agency-audits\/\" title=\"Nearly 0 Million In Afghanistan Costs Were Called Into Question By Oversight Agency Audits\">taxpayer funds spent<\/a> by the House from the start of their investigation in \u200bMarch \u2062until today.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;An impeachment should\u200c never happen again in the \u200dHouse like\u200b it happened this year,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<h2>Setting\u200c the \u200cRecord Straight<\/h2>\n<p>During his speech, the Senate leader expressed his frustration with the House for\u2063 disregarding precedent in bringing forth the impeachment charges.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;It\u200d is crucial to provide a complete and accurate account of what transpired\u2062 and how we arrived\u2062 at this point,&#8221; he emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Patrick, who had remained silent about the House procedures \u2064until the conclusion of the proceedings, had previously pledged that the Senate would conduct a fair and\u200d transparent trial.<\/p>\n<p>The last Texas official to be convicted in an impeachment trial was Gov. James Ferguson in 1917.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The House rushed \u2064the vote to send articles of impeachment against the\u2064 attorney general to the Senate,\u200d allowing members\u200b very little time to \u200breview the 20 articles,&#8221; Mr. Patrick criticized. &#8220;The Speaker \u2063and\u2062 his team pushed through the first \u200cimpeachment of a statewide-elected official in Texas\u200b in over 100\u200b years without considering precedent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The House Committee on General Investigating launched a secret investigation into\u2063 Mr. Paxton in March, which was revealed on May \u200d23.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In the past, the target of\u200b the \u2062investigation was given notice and the opportunity to attend \u2063with \u2064legal counsel, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/he-was-acquitted-of-rape-and-tried-to-sue-his-school-and-accuser-now-the-court-is-asking-about-qualified-immunity\/\" title=\"He Was Acquitted Of Rape And Tried To Sue His School And Accuser. Now The Court Is Asking About Qualified Immunity.\">cross-examine witnesses<\/a> under oath, and evaluate the evidence for \u2063weeks,&#8221; he noted, referring to the Ferguson case.<\/p>\n<p>On May\u2064 25, the House \u200dcommittee unanimously\u200c recommended impeachment on \u200d20 articles, accusing Mr. Paxton of bribery and\u2064 abusing his office to benefit a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-take-aim-at-house-wholesalers-who-flood-poor-areas\/\" title=\"States Take Aim at House Wholesalers Who Flood Poor Areas\">real estate investor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;However, none of\u200d these procedures \u200bwere followed before the Republican-led House voted 121\u201323 to impeach \u2062Mr. Paxton on\u200d May 27,&#8221; Mr. Patrick revealed.<\/p>\n<p>Republican state Rep. John Smithee, one of the 23 Republicans who voted against impeachment, was \u2063the first to voice his opposition during\u2063 the May\u200d 27 debate.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There is no admissible evidence \u200bin the testimony before you \u2064that\u2064 would hold up in a Texas court of law,&#8221; Mr. Smithee argued. &#8220;It is \u200dhearsay within hearsay within hearsay.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, state Rep. Andrew Murr, chair of\u200b the House Investigating Committee,\u200d contended that it was not the\u200d House&#8217;s \u200dresponsibility\u200b to establish\u2063 the facts.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;This \u2063body\u200c does not\u2063 conduct \u200bfact-finding; that\u200b occurs \u200din the Senate, where witnesses \u200care sworn in,&#8221; Mr. Murr explained to the House\u200b in May.<\/p>\n<h2>Amendments \u2063for Future Proceedings<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. \u200cPatrick commended Mr. Smithee&#8217;s \u2062speech during his closing remarks, describing it as &#8220;one of\u200d the most honest and courageous speeches I have ever\u2062 heard \u200bin the House.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mr. Patrick asserted that the House was able to exploit a &#8220;flawed process&#8221; due to the language in the Texas\u200b Constitution, and he emphasized the need to \u200caddress this issue in the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-requests-full-audit-of-impeachment-process-against-ag-ken-paxton\/\" title=\"Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick seeks complete audit of AG Ken Paxton's impeachment process.\">regular session starting<\/a> in January 2025.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Any \u2063testimony given during a House impeachment investigation must be under oath, and the target must have the right to be present \u2064with legal\u2063 representation\u2062 to cross-examine witnesses,&#8221; he stated. &#8220;Otherwise, individuals can\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-no-donald-trump-did-not-win-every-state-except-new-york-in-the-2020-election\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: No, Donald Trump Did Not Win Every State Except New York In The 2020 Election\">make baseless claims<\/a> without accountability or the need for truthfulness, as there is no risk\u2062 of consequences.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Patrick believed that the impeachment trial would not have proceeded if House members had been given &#8220;at least two\u2062 weeks to \u2062review all evidence under oath before voting on \u2062such a serious matter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He also criticized the suspension without pay \u2064imposed on Mr. Paxton when the House sent the articles of impeachment to the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The federal system does not allow for that,&#8221;\u200c Mr. Patrick pointed\u2062 out. &#8220;Neither President Clinton nor \u200cPresident\u2062 Trump had to step down \u200cfrom their \u200bduties during their impeachment processes.\u200d This is not a partisan issue.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What is\u200c the significance of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calling for an \u2063audit of the\u200b impeachment process?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  S\u2062 quoted in the article saying, \u2064&#8221;This was not an\u200c impeachment, it was a\u2062 political hit\u2063 job.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Patrick&#8217;s call for an audit of the \u200bimpeachment process \u200dis a significant step in holding the House accountable for its actions. The\u2063 impeachment\u2063 of \u2064Attorney\u200b General Ken \u2062Paxton was a highly contentious and controversial process,\u200d and\u2064 it\u2064 is important\u200c to ensure that taxpayer funds were not wasted on a politically motivated \u2063endeavor.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200c audit, as requested by Mr. Patrick,\u2064 should cover all expenses incurred during the impeachment process, including\u200b investigators&#8217; fees, document production,\u200b attorney expenses, witness fees, and travel expenses. This \u2062comprehensive review will provide a transparent account of the\u2064 true\u200b cost to Texas taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200chis letter \u2063to Texas State Auditor Lisa Collier,\u2064 Mr. \u200dPatrick emphasized the need to know the total expenses incurred from the beginning to \u200cthe end of \u200bthe\u2062 trial. \u200cThis request \u2064encompasses a specific time\u200c frame, \u200cfrom March 1 to October 15, 2023, and underscores the urgency\u2062 of prioritizing the investigation. The goal is to shed \u2062light on the\u2064 financial implications \u2063of the impeachment and ensure\u2064 that such a waste of\u2063 taxpayer dollars does not happen \u2062again.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Patrick&#8217;s frustration with the House comes as no surprise. He criticized the\u2063 House for rushing the vote to send articles of impeachment to the Senate, allowing little time for review. In his\u200b view, the House failed to consider precedent and disregarded proper procedures. This lack of adherence to established protocols is particularly \u2064concerning given the historical significance of the impeachment. Mr. Paxton&#8217;s impeachment marked the first \u200bimpeachment of a statewide-elected official in\u200c Texas in over 100\u200b years.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200dHouse&#8217;s secret investigation and the subsequent rush to \u200dimpeach Mr. Paxton have raised eyebrows \u200cand sparked criticism. \u200bIn previous cases, the \u2064target of \u2063the investigation was given notice \u200band the opportunity to \u2062defend\u200b themselves with legal counsel. However, in this instance, procedures were\u2062 not followed, and\u2063 Mr. Paxton was impeached without the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses or evaluate the\u200b evidence for weeks.<\/p>\n<p>It is crucial\u200b to set the record\u200b straight and\u2064 provide\u2062 an accurate account of what\u200c transpired during the impeachment\u200c process. Through the\u2062 requested \u200caudit, Mr. Patrick seeks to uncover the truth behind the House&#8217;s actions and shed \u200dlight on any potential misconduct \u2063or misuse of taxpayer\u2062 funds.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063audit\u200c will serve as an important tool in holding the House accountable and ensuring transparency in the impeachment process. It is \u2062a necessary step toward\u200d restoring faith\u2064 in the government and preventing similar instances of\u200b rushed and politically motivated impeachments in the future.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, Lt. Gov. \u200dDan Patrick&#8217;s request for an \u200baudit of the impeachment process of Attorney General \u2064Ken Paxton is a significant move toward uncovering the true\u2064 cost to Texas taxpayers. It is crucial to conduct a comprehensive review of all expenses\u2062 incurred during \u200cthe impeachment process to \u200bensure transparency and accountability. The audit \u2063will\u200d shed light on any<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has fulfilled his pledge to seek an audit of the impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton. The objective is to ascertain the complete expenses incurred by Texas taxpayers in preparing for and executing the trial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1556,"featured_media":2038804,"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-2038803","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\/2038803","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=2038803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2038804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2038803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2038803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2038803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}