Texas AG Ken Paxton swapped political favors for home renovation, job for alleged ‘lover’

AUSTIN – Four former high-ranking officials at the agency are accusing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of exchanging political favors for the help of a donor with the renovation of the house and a job for his alleged “lover”.

The new more detailed claims, first reported by The Texas Tribune, were filed in an updated lawsuit in a complaint that former employees filed against Paxton in November. The lawsuit accuses Paxton of repeatedly abusing his position as the state’s top lawyer to help Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer and campaign giver.

The four former employees said they had received information “suggesting” that Paul “personally or through a construction company he owns and controls” was involved in a recent renovation of Paxton’s Austin home, according to a copy of the lawsuit. The Dallas Morning News obtained Thursday afternoon.

They also claimed that Paxton helped secure employment at one of Paul’s companies for a woman with whom Paxton allegedly had an affair. Paxton then helped Paul, they claimed, in exchange for his silence or to repay him for his help.

“This real estate investor was also a big donor to Paxton’s campaign, he was helping Paxton to renovate his personal residence and was the employer of Paxton’s lover. The plaintiffs reasonably believed that Paxton’s bizarre abuse in his position was the result of bribery, ”the suit says, calling Paxton’s actions an“ obsessive use of the power of his position ”.

Paxton’s spokesman denied that he had done anything illegal.

“All charges that the attorney general acted contrary to the law are completely false and will be proven in court,” Ian Prior said in a statement.

Paul’s lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.

The new claims, many of which The news failed to independently verify, offer the most detailed theory yet of why Paxton helped Paul, even when his top advisers refused his behavior.

The news reported last year that Paxton personally intervened at least four times in a series of legal issues at his agency that involved or helped Paul since March 2020. Several senior officials opposed Paxton’s actions last fall, reporting him to the police for alleged abuse of office and bribery.

The FBI is now investigating these allegations, according to The Associated Press.

After reporting on Paxton’s alleged crimes, he fired the employees, who he said were disloyal and who he accused of preventing an active investigation by the agency. The employees then filed the lawsuit, alleging retaliation.

If they win the case, the state may be liable to pay hundreds of thousands – or even millions – in lost wages and benefits, attorney fees and compensation.

Paxton has also faced unrelated charges of securities fraud since his time as a state legislator, when a fellow Republican lawmaker claimed that Paxton deceived him and others to invest in a McKinney technology company without revealing that he was being compensated by the company’s CEO. A grand jury in Collin County indicted Paxton on these charges in 2015, months after he was elected attorney general, but he has yet to stand trial.

Paxton faced three criminal charges arising from those allegations. He pleaded not guilty.