Scandal-plagued Texas AG wants to turn his misconduct into a Senate race: columnist

Far-right Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has faced many allegations from members of his own team, and over the weekend, they won in a lawsuit against him. Despite his scandals, however, Paxton seems to think he could win a U.S. Senate race.

Four high-level aides blew the whistle over "a variety of crimes and abuses, including bribery," wrote Maddow Blog's Steve Benen. The court win would have been a "brutal embarrassment" to a normal lawmaker.

"Instead, just three days after whistleblowers from his office were awarded $6.6 million, Paxton launched a U.S. Senate campaign," Benen said, citing NBC News.

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Benen noted that the fight between long-serving lawmakers and the far right has become more frequent since President Donald Trump took over the Republican Party.

Meanwhile, Paxton's political career "almost sounds like a caricature," Benen continued. He recalled that Paxton faced felony charges in a securities fraud case, in which he denied any wrongdoing. As the trial date moved closer, Paxton "agreed to $300,000 in restitution," said he would "take legal ethics classes, and do 100 hours of community service."

"He was no doubt pleased to have the matter behind him, though the case was just part of a larger set of troubles," wrote Benen. "The criminal allegations, for example, were distinct from the state bar investigation into Paxton’s ridiculous efforts to overturn the 2020 election results."

The securities fraud allegations were separate from the corruption allegations from his staffers. It nearly led to his removal from office, but his Senate GOP allies refused to convict him.

Despite the shocking chain of scandals, Paxton was eager to throw his name in the hat for U.S. Senate.

"The idea that such a figure would try to parlay these controversies into a Senate campaign — which might very well prove effective — is a reminder of the degree to which the Republican Party has become a post-scandal party," Benen closed.

He noted that Trump hasn't commented on the GOP showdown in Texas, but Paxton was behind “Lawyers for Trump” in the 2020 race.

Read the full column here.