Real estate purchases made by impeached AG Paxton being investigated
AUSTIN, Texas - A new report says impeachment investigators are looking into a flurry of homes and properties purchased by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The Wall Street Journal reports the purchases caught of the attention of investigators because of the timing and amount of money spent.
The now-suspended attorney general's legal team says Paxton was just taking advantage of the housing market, but this report at least sheds more light on some of what House investigators started to look into immediately after the impeachment.
Nearly lost in the flurry of activity surrounding the impeachment of Paxton last month was a series of subpoenas the House General Investigating Committee issued on Sunday, May 28.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton impeached
The Texas House voted 121-23 to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton is suspended from office until the result of a trial in the senate.
Among the banks and properties hit with subpoenas was the "Esther Blind Trust."
The Wall Street Journal reports impeachment investigators are now looking into a "...property-buying spree that began after he came under federal investigation for alleged abuse of his office."
Among the properties, since confirmed by FOX 4, the Esther Blind Trust purchased a property near ski resorts in Eden, Utah in 2021.
Records show Paxton's wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, made the tax payment.
It also includes a five-bedroom property in the Broken Bow, Oklahoma area that was purchased in January 2022 for $1.6 million.
In a statement, Paxton’s impeachment attorney Tony Buzbee told the Journal: "General Paxton decided to direct much of his long-term savings from a brokerage account to real estate..." and "He did so at a time with low interest rates, believing it was a better long-term investment to provide for his family. There is nothing more to it than that."
The Journal says the total purchases of properties totaled $3.5 million.
Paxton is currently suspended from office, awaiting trial in the state Senate on allegations he abused his power, and engaged in bribery.
Impeachment leaders say their investigation into Paxton all started because Paxton needed the state to spend $3.3 million to settle a lawsuit with a group of his former top deputies who accused Paxton of abusing his office.
Paxton’s impeachment trial is set to begin in the Texas Senate on September 5.