CLAIM: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has a criminal record, according to his Democrat opponent state Rep. James Talarico (D-TX).
VERDICT: False. Paxton, the Republican hopeful who defeated Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Texas Senate primary race, has no formal criminal record, and the charges against him were dropped.
The Democrat recently attempted to make a distinction between himself and his opponent, stating, “I ran for office not to be served, but to serve. And then there’s Ken Paxton.”
He went on, attempting to draw a contrast with his Republican competitor: “I have a legislative record — Ken Paxton has a criminal record.”
However, Talarico’s assertion is false. The securities fraud charges against him were ultimately dismissed — no trial or conviction — and the Biden-era Justice Department ultimately dismissed the corruption investigation. That investigation itself revolved around allegations that Paxton abused his office to benefit a donor. However, the Biden administration opted not to prosecute Paxton, dropping the charges due the weakness of the entire case.
As the AP reported at the time:
Two people familiar with the matter, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, confirmed the department’s decision to decline to prosecute. Though the date of the decision was not immediately clear, it was made in the final weeks of the President Joe Biden’s presidency, one of the people said.
Politically appointed Justice Department leadership was not involved in the decision, which was recommended by a senior career official who had concerns about prosecutors’ ability to secure a conviction, according to another person briefed on the matter.
“Joe Biden weaponized the DOJ to try and take me down because I sued his radical Administration over 100 times and never backed down from challenging his lawless actions,” Paxton sad last year, deeming the investigation a “bogus witch hunt.”
“Even the corrupt Biden DOJ knew this bogus witch hunt was politically motivated nonsense, which is why it was closed in the final hours of the failed Biden Administration. Thankfully, the integrity of the DOJ is being restored under President Trump and Attorney General Bondi,” he said, assuring, “I will continue to defend the people of Texas and their freedoms — as I always have — and fight back against the far-left’s extremist agenda no matter what they try and do to stop me.”
Another issue with Talarico’s comparison is the fact that he touts a legislative record, yet he himself has missed over 800 votes.
The Democrat’s assertions come days after Paxton secured his primary after an endorsement from President Donald Trump — a win the commander-in-chief referred to as “tremendous.”
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