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Texas Guv Taps Interim AG Ahead of Paxton’s Impeachment Trial

Gov. Greg Abbott’s pick, a Fort Worth attorney, boasts a resume with stints as a deputy attorney general and secretary of state.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday said he had appointed John Scott, a former secretary of state, to serve as attorney general while Ken Paxton awaits an impeachment trial in the state Senate. Paxton, who was elected to head the office in 2015, was suspended on Monday after the Republican-led state House voted to impeach him over wide-ranging allegations of misconduct. Scott, a Fort Worth attorney, previously served as deputy attorney general for litigation when Abbott led the office, handling “cases at all levels of the judicial system,” the governor said in a statement. Scott was tapped to lead the secretary of state’s office in October 2021, resigning last December to return to private practice. “John Scott has the background and experience needed to step in as a short-term interim Attorney General during the time the Attorney General has been suspended from duty,” Abbott said.