AUSTIN, Texas — On Monday, a group of activist leaders gathered outside of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Office to call for his removal.
The event was led by Adrian Shelley, director of the Texas Office of Public Citizen, and Robin Schneider, executive director of Texas Campaign for the Environment.
Along with a number of other activists, the group is calling for Paxton's resignation. And should he not accept their call, they said the Texas Legislature should move to impeach him under Article 15 of the Texas Constitution.
"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is criminally and morally unfit for office," the group said in a press release. "His harmful pro-Trump speech fed a violent riot charged by white supremacists in D.C., leading to the death of five people, and sought to upend the 2020 presidential election. He is using our tax dollars for baseless legal action; funds that are desperately needed to assist Texans affected by the intersecting and ongoing crises of COVID-19, the economic recession, and racial injustice, plaguing millions of people in our state."
After the riots at the U.S. Capitol, Paxton falsely said that the rioters were not Trump supporters, citing incorrect reports. He also urged the president's supporters to keep fighting.
“We’re here. We will not quit fighting,” he said. “We are Texans, we are Americans, and we’re not quitting.”
Paxton is also currently under investigation after several people in his office accused him of crimes such as bribery and abuse of office linked to his dealings with Austin-based real estate investor Nate Paul.
"He is doing all of this while also under investigation by the FBI for action taken to assist a disgraced big donor real estate mogul and while having been under indictment for securities fraud for more than five years," the activists said. "Texas needs an attorney general who is focused on the needs of everyday Texans."
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