AUSTIN, Texas — The fate of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton could be in the hands of 30 state senators by Thursday or Friday, according to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is presiding over the impeachment trial.
The senators are hearing 16 articles of impeachment against Paxton on accusations of bribery, disregard of duty and misappropriation of public resources. The allegations center around efforts on behalf of friend and donor Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer arrested in June on federal charges.
Before testimony began Monday, Patrick announced that each side has 14 hours, 28 minutes and 17 seconds remaining of their allotted 24 hours for witnesses.
“Based on that time schedule, both sides will be likely down to under five hours by sometime late Wednesday, depending on how the time is divided, and both sides could be out of time on Thursday morning,” Patrick predicted.
He said they'll work till 6:30 or 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday.
“I want to be clear that one side or the other could have time left that the other could not respond to. Those are the rules that both sides proposed and agreed to,” Patrick said. “So it’s up to you to strategize and manage your time properly.”
Each side will then have one hour for rebuttal and one hour for closing arguments before senators begin deliberating each article. Patrick said they'll work through the weekend if necessary.
If Paxton is found guilty of any of the 16 articles, he will lose his job. The senate would then vote on whether to ban him from ever holding public office in Texas again.
Paxton pleaded not guilty to each article.