After the Texas Senate acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton of 16 articles of impeachment on Saturday, legal experts were quick to react.
Paxton, a Republican, was accused of corruption and bribery, and narrowly escaped being booted from office by his fellow GOPers. Paxton had the support of former president Trump and other far-right political figures.
Former prosecutor Joyce Vance noted that Paxton "remains under indictment in a trial delayed years by procedural motions."
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"In Texas, partisanship trumps GOP commitment to ethics in governance as state AG Ken Paxton is acquitted on all charges in his impeachment," the analyst said.
Political consultant David Axelrod, who served as chief strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns, claimed the result "will give Trump some small encouragement."
"Despite evidence of blatant corruption, his ally, The TX AG, is acquitted in an a impeachment trial by a Republican-dominated state senate in Texas," the commentator added.
MSNBC host and legal contributor Katie Phang also said, "Something is rotten in Texas…" She added "Yes, I know. An evergreen tweet."
Former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega simply said, "Wow. Sad to hear..."
Even tennis legend Martina Navratilova chimed in on the high-profile vote: "This a--wipe is guilty as sin but the absolutely corrupt Texas GOP doesn’t care! This guy should be in prison. Unreal."
