AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s legal troubles are far from over.
Despite reaching an agreement to dismiss his securities fraud charges and avoiding conviction in his impeachment last year, the road ahead is a bumpy one.
First, Paxton still faces a federal investigation. In 2023, U.S. Justice Department officials in Washington, D.C., confirmed that they had taken over a corruption investigation into Paxton, removing the case from the hands of the federal prosecutors in Texas who had been leading the probe.
That investigation is tied to some of the same issues that led to his impeachment: allegations that Paxton used his office to help his friend and political donor, Austin real estate investor Nate Paul.
Separately, Paxton faces a lawsuit from whistleblowers. They are his former aides, who have accused him of illegally firing them for going to the FBI about their concerns about his dealings with Paul.
And in yet another legal entanglement, a disciplinary committee for the State Bar of Texas has filed a professional misconduct lawsuit against Paxton for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections in four battleground states won by President Joe Biden.
The committee is seeking a sanction against Paxton, which will be determined by a judge and could range from a private reprimand to Paxton having to surrender his law license.