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Hours after his acquittal in the Texas Senate, Attorney General Ken Paxton’s far-right supporters doubled down on their promises for swift retribution against fellow Republicans who supported his removal from office.
In particular, they vowed a scorched-earth campaign against House Speaker Dade Phelan, casting him as the ringleader responsible for the impeachment process and calling for him to resign immediately.
“You and your band of RINOs are now on notice,” Defend Texas Liberty PAC leader Jonathan Stickland tweeted at Phelan on Saturday, as voting continued in the Texas Senate. “You will be held accountable for this entire sham. We will never stop. Retire now.”
Paxton’s impeachment trial was the latest — and among the most consequential — battle in an ongoing civil war between the Texas GOP’s establishment members and a well-funded right wing that has for years claimed the party is insufficiently conservative.
While the two factions typically have a consensus on policy matters, with the Texas Legislature consistently spearheading the enactment of socially conservative bills, the far-right faction within the party frequently criticizes certain members, particularly those in the Texas House, for collaborating with Democrats to subvert conservative priorities.
Paxton has played a key role in that fight, and has used his office to back the issues favored by the state’s most conservative flank. In turn, he has received millions of dollars from ultraconservative donors such as oil tycoons Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, who have buoyed his campaigns as his legal woes mounted, approval ratings dropped and other, more establishment donors invested elsewhere.
After House Republicans took the lead to impeach Paxton in May, the state’s far right again rushed to his defense: They accused Phelan of being drunk while presiding over House business and promised high-price primary challenges to House Republicans who voted to suspend Paxton from office. They erected billboards, made documentaries and paid social media influencers to parrot pro-Paxton talking points. They compared him to twice-impeached former President Donald Trump, and argued the attorney general was the victim of a “witch hunt” orchestrated by, among others, the Bush family, Democrats and the deep state.
Following the vote, Paxton reiterated the same belief, expressing in a statement that he had been unfairly subjected to a “phony impeachment orchestrated by the Biden Administration, in collaboration with House Speaker Dade Phelan and his biased tribunal.”
Immediately after Paxton was declared not guilty, his supporters wasted no time in launching an onslaught against the individuals they held accountable for the ordeal.
“The Texas House owes all of Texas a big apology,” said Rep. Steve Toth, a Republican from the Woodlands and a member of the House’s Freedom Caucus, which threw its support behind Paxton. “This was a sham … This is terribly destructive to the Republican Party of Texas.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — who presided over the trial but had largely avoided discussing its merits — gave a blistering speech in which he condemned the House impeachment managers and Phelan, with whom Patrick has long been at odds over school-choice legislation and other conservative bills that did not make it out of the Texas House during this year’s legislative session.
In the meantime, notable conservatives, including Trump, strongly criticized “RINOs” in the House and demanded Phelan’s resignation. They pointed to Paxton’s acquittal as evidence that the far right represented the true values of the Texas GOP. Moreover, they assured that significant transformations would ensue as a result.
Matt Rinaldi, the Republican Party of Texas chair, criticized Speaker Dade Phelan and his leadership team, expressing his disappointment in subjecting Texas to a costly and time-consuming political charade of an impeachment. In his statement, Rinaldi invited the House Republican Caucus to select future leadership that will prioritize uniting the Republican coalition towards shared objectives, rather than collaborating with Democrats.
The House Republicans retaliated by portraying Paxton as corrupt and attributing his acquittal to partisan politics in the opposing chamber.
At a press conference following the vote, Rep. Andrew Murr, a Junction Republican and chair of the House impeachment team, excoriated Republican senators and the “millions of dollars that Mr. Paxton’s apologists have spent to influence and intimidate Texas senators and Texas constituents.”
Phelan criticized Patrick for his post-vote “tirade,” echoing Murr’s disappointment and concerns.
Phelan expressed his deep concern over Lt. Governor Patrick’s contradictory actions during the trial. Despite initially claiming to be impartial and honest, Patrick ultimately confessed his bias and showed contempt for the people’s house. Phelan believes that today’s outcome was preplanned, depriving the people of Texas of justice.
The tension is brewing in anticipation of a forthcoming special session, expected to take place in October, focused on school choice legislation. This legislation has already become a major point of contention between Senate and House Republicans. Over the past few legislative sessions, rural House Republicans have consistently opposed voucher legislation supported by the Senate. Additionally, Phelan and Patrick engaged in a heated disagreement throughout the summer regarding the specifics of their chambers’ property tax bills.
Some individuals within the party are already advocating for reconciliation, concerned that the winner of the intensifying civil war may ultimately achieve a hollow victory, as it could potentially deepen the divide even further.
“The radical and divisive nature of the situation in Texas now is going to cost us terribly,” former Amarillo Sen. Kel Seliger said in an interview. “And who is going to bring the party back together once we have really torn ourselves apart, once we’re done?”
Toth, positioned outside the Senate chamber on Saturday, expressed his anticipation for voters to seek “retribution” against his fellow Republicans who backed Paxton’s impeachment. He concurred that the party’s ongoing internal conflict shows no signs of resolution.
“It’s a mess,” he said.
Kate McGee contributed to this report.
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