It seems like every day is a new scandal and possible crime committed by the already scandal-ridden Ken Paxton. Probably, like President Felon, Paxton thinks laws are for other people.
In any event, hot on the heels of exposing the attorney general’s record of likely voter fraud, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune have found that Paxton likely violated federal ethics laws, too.
For example, Paxton “reported owning seven homes but said he earned no income from any. Yet all but one was listed for rent during the reporting periods, and some current residents and neighbors at those addresses confirmed that the properties were rented,” the new report found. “Receiving income and not reporting it is a violation of federal disclosure law, three ethics experts said.”
Also, he did not disclose mortgages on three of his condos at a golf resort in Utah. “Federal law requires him to list as liabilities if they are not personal residences,” the report noted.
The report has more details. But the bottom line is this: “Paxton’s report omitted listing as assets seven properties worth about $5.2 million collectively.”
Was Paxton shockingly sloppy or intentionally trying to hide some of his assets? Neither is a good look for a senate candidate, especially not one who is currently his state’s top law enforcement officer. But here’s a hint: Paxton has a history of this kind of thing. The New York Times noted in July, “For several years, Mr. Paxton did not list many of the properties owned by his blind trust on his required state financial statements, saying the disclosure rules were unclear.”
Questions were already swirling about how Paxton was able to afford such a real estate portfolio on his government salary well before this latest report. “Mr. Paxton’s assets have been part of corruption allegations against him during his more than two decades in office,” The Times also noted. He was impeached in the Texas House, although acquitted in the Senate, in 2023, over allegations that he took bribes in exchange for doing favors for an Austin real estate investor.
Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned his indictment on securities fraud (dismissed with a slap on the wrist) or my personal favorite, the Montblanc pen theft (see above).
