Texas Attorney General given four days to hand over Jan 6 texts
Ken Paxton will face a lawsuit if he doesn’t turn over his communications from Trump rally
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been given four days to hand over his digital communications from 6 January or face a lawsuit, the Travis County district attorney has stated.
Mr Paxton spoke at the pro-Trump rally ahead of the US Capitol attack and aided Donald Trump in his efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
Mr Paxton was hand-delivered a letter on Thursday from the Travis County District Attorney’s Office stating that it had received a complaint from the editors of the state's largest newspapers: the Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News.
The complaint claimed that Mr Paxton had failed to comply with the Texas Public Information Act. The letter stated that complainants were told that his “documents were protected by the attorney-client privilege,” however they are subject to public release under the state's open records law.
Mr Paxton did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment on Friday morning.
Rabbi Capitol rioter asks to pay $50 to avoid jail and calls arrest ‘modern-day version of tar and feathering’
Who are the Oath Keepers, extremist group whose leader has been charged over Capitol riot
Trump news – live: Biden approval polls now as low as Trump’s as Lara says US ‘desperate’ for 2024 run
“After a thorough review of the complaint, the [district attorney’s] office has determined that Paxton and [his office] violated Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code,” wrote Jackie Wood, director of the district attorney’s Public Integrity and Complex Crimes Unit in the letter.
The two-term Republican is campaigning for reelection this year but has fierce competition from three other Republicans, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, US Representative Louie Gohmert and Land Commissioner George P Bush.
Mr Paxton is awaiting trial for a six-year-old securities fraud charge, which has been hanging over him since he assumed office in 2015. He has maintained his innocence throughout and was narrowly reelected in 2018.
More than 60 people from Texas face Capitol riot charges.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments