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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick broke his personal silence Saturday on Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment after the Senate voted for acquittal, blasting the House’s impeachment process as deeply flawed.
“After the verdict was finalized, Patrick criticized the speaker and his team for bulldozing through the first impeachment of a statewide official in Texas in over 100 years without considering the precedents set by the House in previous impeachments,” Patrick stated from the podium.
House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, fired back, saying Patrick ended the trial by “confessing his bias and placing his contempt for the people’s House on full display.”
Patrick was the presiding officer of the trial — effectively the judge — and his feelings on the matter were the subject of much speculation. While he got praise for how he handled certain aspects, like the trial rules, he also drew scrutiny for accepting $3 million from a pro-Paxton group in late June.
Patrick started his speech by acknowledging his prolonged silence in the past few months, explaining that he chose to do so out of respect for his role in the process. However, he then proceeded to express his frustration towards the House for abruptly presenting the impeachment to the Senate towards the end of the regular session.
Patrick mocked House impeachment managers for impressing upon the senators how important their decision was and how they will be remembered for their vote.
Patrick suggested that if the House members who voted for impeachment had followed that instruction in the House, we might not be in this situation.
He went on to favorably quote from a speech that Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, gave in May in opposition to the impeachment.
Smithee expressed his opinion about the House process, stating, “Judge them later, but let’s hang ’em now.”
Patrick also called for a state constitutional amendment reforming the impeachment process. He proposed that all House testimony should be given under oath and subject to cross examination, adding that an impeached official “should not be put on unpaid leave” while awaiting trial.
Patrick also said “millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on this impeachment” and called for a “full audit” of the House’s spending on it.
Phelan retaliated with an equally hostile response, asserting that Patrick had criticized the House for its efforts against corruption.
Phelan expressed his disappointment, stating, “By disrespecting the Constitutional impeachment process that was established by the founders of this great state, his tirade undermines the integrity of our system. It is evident that today’s outcome seems to have been premeditated from the beginning, depriving the people of Texas of their rightful justice.”
There is no love lost between Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, who have previously battled over policy issues. But Patrick’s speech represented a new escalation in their feud and came after he withheld his personal opinion on the impeachment for months, trying to show he was taking the trial seriously.
Democrats contended that, similar to Phelan, this indicated his lack of impartiality in the trial.
According to a tweet by the Texas Democratic Party, it was observed that Dan Patrick’s forceful speech indicated a pre-existing bias against justice throughout the trial. The tweet further mentioned that Patrick tends to prioritize his personal connections over objective facts.
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