Not out of the woods: Ken Paxton faces avalanche of legal problems even after impeachment acquittal

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted and reinstated to his office after a contentious, Republican-controlled impeachment trial where state House investigators detailed the evidence he abused his office to trade political favors, handed a job to a woman he was having an affair with, and fired whistleblowers.

Former President Donald Trump was quick to claim credit for helping his longtime ally avoid conviction, and reports suggest key GOP state senators were threatened with campaigns to oust them from office if they didn't toe the line to protect Paxton.

But none of this means Paxton is home free. According to The New York Times, he still faces a mountain of legal problems.

"Legal experts said that after the Senate acquittal, Mr. Paxton could face a more serious legal threat by the pending Justice Department investigation," reported Edgar Sandoval. "State prosecutors said in February that the department is looking into allegations made by the whistle-blowers that Mr. Paxton extended unusual help from his office to benefit a political donor, Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor, and that Mr. Paul had paid for renovations to his house and employed a woman he was having an affair with."

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According to the report, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, who was in charge of that investigation, has been recused for unspecified reasons — possibly to avoid a conflict over the fact that Paul accused federal agents in Texas of misconduct — and the DOJ's public integrity division has taken over the case.

"Federal investigators are likely to rely on evidence and testimony that was made public during the recent legislative hearings. More than a dozen witnesses described how Mr. Paxton repeatedly used his office to help Mr. Paul," noted the report. "In June, federal prosecutors charged Mr. Paul with making false statements to financial institutions by exaggerating the value of his assets, telling mortgage companies and credit unions that he had more money than he did. The case could provide an incentive to Mr. Paul to cooperate with the federal government in the investigation of Mr. Paxton, legal analysts said."

Independently of all this, Paxton — who has headed up a series of far-right legal cases brought by multiple Republican-controlled states — is under indictment for securities fraud. That case has been pending since 2015, with the case delayed repeatedly over disputes about where to hold the trial.