‘CHIEF LAWBREAKING OFFICER’

Embattled Texas AG Brushed Off Warnings About His Sketchy Pal

“You could be charged with bribery,” one subordinate warned him.

Ken Paxton, Texas’ suspended attorney general, brushed off warnings from colleagues about continuing to cut favors for his pal and donor Nate Paul, KUT 90.5 reported Friday, citing transcripts made public late Thursday ahead of Paxton’s impeachment trial. The newly unearthed detail came from an interview between David Maxwell, a former subordinate in Paxton’s office, and state investigators who were probing Paxton’s alleged efforts to stymie a federal investigation into Paul. “I said, ‘Ken, you’re going to get yourself in trouble, and I wish you’d listen to me,’” Maxwell recalled telling Paxton. “‘You could be charged with bribery.’” Maxwell wasn’t the only person to foresee that Paxton was headed for trouble by allegedly helping Paul. Mark Penley, a former deputy attorney general, characterized Paxton’s aid of Paul “illogical and crazy.” He added, “This was outrageous conduct by an Attorney General that’s supposed to be the chief law enforcement officer for the State of Texas, not the chief lawbreaking officer.”