AP REPORT: Texas AG office in growing disarray under Paxton
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton seeks to fend off legal troubles and win a third term as Texas’ top law enforcement official, but his agency has come unmoored by disarray behind the scenes, with seasoned lawyers quitting over practices they say aim to slant legal work, reward loyalists and drum out dissent. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File) JAKE BLEIBERG | Associated Press GATESVILLE, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s staff this month quietly dropped a series of human trafficking and child sexual assault cases after losing track of one of the victims, a stumble in open court emblematic of broader dysfunction inside one of America’s most prominent law offices.
The Republican has elevated his national profile in recent years, energizing the right by rushing into contentious court battles that have affected people far beyond Texas.
He has fought access to abortion, Democratic immigration policy and the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. But as Paxton seeks to fend off legal troubles and win a third term as Texas’ top law enforcement official, his agency has come unmoored by disarray behind the scenes, with seasoned lawyers quitting over practices they say aim to slant legal work, reward loyalists and drum out dissent.
An Associated Press investigation found Paxton and his deputies have sought to turn cases to political advantage or push a broader political agenda, including staff screenings of a debunked film questioning the 2020 election.
