The Senate has begun deliberations for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial, who is currently facing 16 articles of impeachment, including bribery and abuse of public trust.
In a statement, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told the 30 state senators who would be acting as jurors in the case that they would only be allowed to go home at night and are mandated not to speak to anyone about the trial or watch any news coverage until it is over.
Ken Paxton Impeachment Trial
If a verdict against Paxton is not reached by Sunday evening, Patrick said that he would consider sequestering the senators. The state's attorney general attended the trial on the first day and the last day after he pleaded not guilty last week. He has denied any and all wrongdoing.
The situation comes as Republican lawmakers hold a 19-12 majority in the Texas Senate and the state requires a two-thirds majority, which equates to 21 votes, to convict Paxton of any of the charges brought against him, as per CBS News.
Paxton's wife, Texas Sen. Angela Paxton, has also been barred from voting or participating in the deliberations of her husband. However, she still counts toward the number of senators that are necessary to convict, which means that the state would still need 21 votes.
The defense team for the attorney general has sought to dismiss the impeachment vote against him as a political "witch hunt" and partisan fight within the GOP against Paxton himself. He is considered to be a close ally of former United States President Donald Trump.
On the other hand, House impeachment manager Jeff Leach, who also represents Paxton's home base in Collin County, Texas, argued that while the attorney general is a "dear friend and political mentor," the people of the state deserve answers.
Patrick, who presided over the trial of Paxton, said that it was not sure how long the jury was going to deliberate. He argued that it could take hours or even days before the senators reach a definitive decision, according to CNN.
Senators Begin Deliberations
There are only two Texas statewide officials who have ever been successfully removed from office following a conviction in an impeachment trial. These were Gov. James Ferguson and 1917 and District Judge. O.P. Carrillo in 1975.
The two-week trial at the Texas State Capitol in Austin ended on Friday when both the House impeachment managers and Paxton's legal team were given one hour each for their closing arguments.
Republican state Rep. Andrew Murr, who is the chair of the House impeachment managers, said on Friday that the attorney general may claim to be one of them but argued that he had no regard for the principles of honor and integrity.
Additionally, Murr criticized the defense of the attorney general, who he claimed only fought back by saying that Paxton did not do the actions that he was accused of and that it does not matter because he won the election. Murr called the arguments "godless, rudderless morality," said the New York Times.
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