AUSTIN, Texas — New allegations reveal suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton created an Uber account under the name “Dave P” with Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, who’s at the center of his impeachment trial.
The account was created for Paxton to use when they wanted to meet or when he wanted to see his mistress.
“Now we have another mantra that’s come out from the house managers, which is ‘fake Uber account, fake Uber account.’ That’s easy. Everybody understands that. It looks bad. It’s sleazy. It’s not just some gratuitous thing. It’s tied in with all these other accusations about the relationship between these two guys,” said David Coale, who’s an appellate lawyer with Lynn Pinker Hurst Schwegmann LLP.
In new filings, House impeachment lawyers say Paxton morphed the attorney general’s office into a “concierge law firm” for Paul, who was facing legal trouble. They accuse Paxton of abusing his power to advance Paul’s aims.
“They’re sort of daring senators that might be inclined to vote for dismissal, ‘Are you sure, on this record?’” Coale said.
Paxton’s team seeks to get rid of the impeachment charges against him, claiming they’re unsubstantiated. They also cite the forgiveness doctrine, saying voters chose to re-elect Paxton for a third term even though they knew about wrongdoings before casting a ballot. But the House managers argue voters didn’t know all the details because Paxton tried to conceal them.
“We’re going to learn a lot at a level of detail that will put some additional weight behind these charges that Attorney General Paxton is facing,” said Cal Jillson, who’s a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.
The charges also allege Paxton used his office’s power to interfere with a federal investigation of Paul. Paul was recently charged with federal financial crimes. He’s denied wrongdoing.
Paxton is also accused of accepting bribes from Paul in the form of campaign donations and a kitchen remodel. Paxton’s top aides tried to get him away from Paul, warning him he was a “crook,” according to the filings.
“Yes, there probably is more evidence, but this is the time to put the good stuff out there, in response to motions to dismiss,” Coale said. “You don’t want to take a chance.”
The House voted to impeach Paxton in May. The Senate trial is expected to last a few weeks. Paxton could be removed from office if any article is approved by two-thirds of Senators who will serve as jurors.
Paxton’s lead attorney Tony Buzbee sent out a statement on Wednesday, saying this effort has wasted taxpayer money.
“Attorney General Ken Paxton has neither sought nor accepted a bribe, and the House Managers’ slanderous accusation to the contrary is meritless, no matter how many times they repeat it,” Buzbee wrote in part.