After years of scandals, criminal charges and corruption allegations, Texas Atty. General Ken Paxton is on the verge of impeachment, with a panel led by his fellow Republicans leading the charge.

In a unanimous decision, the Texas House Commission of Inquiry, which has been quietly investigating Paxton for months, recommended that the state’s top attorney be impeached Thursday on 20 counts, including bribery, ineligibility for office and breach of trust. public.

The House could vote on the recommendation as early as Friday. If it deposes Paxton, he would be forced to leave office immediately.

The move brings what could be a remarkably sudden downfall for one of the GOP’s most prominent legal fighters, who in 2020 asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn President Biden’s election victory. Only two officials in Texas’ nearly 200-year history have been impeached.

Paxton has been under FBI investigation for years over allegations that he used his office to help a donor. He was listed separately in 2015 on securities fraud charges, but has yet to face trial.

When the five-member committee’s investigation came to light Tuesday, Paxton suggested it was a political attack by the House’s liberal Republican speaker Dade Phelan. He called for Phelan’s resignation and accused him of being drunk during a marathon session last Friday. Phelan’s office dismissed the accusation as Paxton’s attempt to save face.

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It is a sad day for Texas as we witness the corrupt political establishment unite in this illegitimate attempt to overthrow the will of the people and disenfranchise our state’s voters, Paxton said in a statement Thursday, in which he called the findings of the committees rumor and gossip, parroting long-disproved claims.

By moving against him, the RINOs in the Texas legislature are now on the same side as Joe Biden, Paxton said, using the moniker that stands for “Republicans in name only” that former President Trump and his supporters have used. reserve for fellow GOP members who oppose. them.

Impeachment requires a majority vote of the States House chamber, usually 150 members, now controlled 85-64 by the Republicans, as a GOP representative resigned ahead of an expected vote to oust him.

It’s unclear how many supporters Paxton has in the House, where he served five terms before becoming a senator. Since the prospect of impeachment suddenly surfaced Wednesday, none of Texas’ other top Republicans have expressed their support.

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The impeachment articles of the investigative committee, which consists of three Republicans and two Democrats, stem largely from Paxton’s relationship with one of his wealthy donors. They take issue with Paxton’s alleged efforts to protect the donor from an FBI investigation and his efforts to thwart whistleblower complaints from his own staff.

The timing of a vote by the House is unclear. Rep. Andrew Murr, the Republican chairman of the inquiry committee, said he had no timeline, and Phelan’s office declined to comment.

Unlike in Congress, impeachment in Texas requires immediate removal from office until a trial is held in the Senate. government Greg Abbott, who is also a Republican, could appoint an interim replacement. Abbott’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations.

Final removal would require two-thirds support in the Senate, where Paxton’s wife, Angela, is a member. Gov. Lieutenant Dan Patrick, a Republican and Senate Majority Leader, did not respond to requests for comment.

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Paxton, 60, faces Ouster at the hands of GOP lawmakers just seven months after he easily won a third term from challengers including George P. Bush, who had urged voters to reject a compromised incumbent, but found that many either knew nothing about Paxton’s litany of alleged wrongdoings or dismissed the allegations as political attacks.

The attorney general characterized his possible impeachment as a critical moment for the rule of law and the will of Texas voters.

Even as the end of the regular session approaches on Monday, state law allows the House to continue working on impeachment proceedings. It can also call itself back into session later. The Senate has the same options.

In a sense, Paxton’s political danger arrived with dizzying speed: The House Committee’s investigation came to light on Tuesday, followed the next day by an extraordinary public broadcast of alleged criminal acts he had committed as one of the most powerful figures in history. Texas.

But for Paxton’s opponents, who now comprise an increasing portion of his own party in the Texas Capitol, the rebuke was years in the making.

In 2014, he admitted to violating Texas securities law by failing to register as an investment advisor while recruiting clients. A year later, Paxton was indicted by a grand jury in his hometown near Dallas for defrauding investors in a tech startup. He has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts that carry a prison sentence of five to 99 years.

He opened a legal defense fund and accepted $100,000 from an executive whose company was under investigation by Paxton’s office for Medicaid fraud. An additional $50,000 was donated by an Arizona retiree whose son Paxton was later hired for a high-ranking job, but was soon fired after trying to make a point by displaying child pornography at a meeting.

What has released the biggest risk for Paxton is his relationship with another wealthy donor, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul.

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Several of Paxton’s top aides told the FBI in 2020 that they had become concerned that the attorney general was misusing his office’s powers to aid Paul in unsubstantiated claims that there was an elaborate conspiracy to steal $200 million from his property. The FBI searched Paul’s home in 2019, but he has not been charged and his lawyers have denied any wrongdoing. Paxton also told staff that he was having an affair with a woman who, it turned out, worked for Paul.

The impeachment charges cover numerous allegations related to Paxton’s dealings with Paul. The allegations include attempts to interfere in foreclosure lawsuits and inappropriately issuing legal opinions in favor of Paul, as well as firing, harassing and interfering with staff who reported what was happening. The bribery allegations stem from the fact that Paul allegedly employed the woman with whom Paxton was having an affair in exchange for legal assistance and that Paul allegedly paid for expensive renovations to Paxton’s house in Austin.

Other charges date back to Paxton’s pending 2015 securities fraud indictment, including lying to state investigators.

The eight aides who reported Paxton to the FBI were all fired or quit, and four later headed south under Texas whistleblowing law. In February, Paxton agreed to settle the case for $3.3 million. But the Texas House must approve the payout, and Phelan has said he doesn’t think taxpayers should foot the bill.

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Shortly after the settlement was reached, the Texas House investigation into Paxton began. The inquiry amounted to a rare inquiry of Paxton at the Capitol, where many Republicans have long taken a muted stance on the allegations that have dogged him.

Only twice has the Texas House impeached a sitting official: Gov. James Ferguson in 1917 and state judge OP Carrillo in 1975.