AUSTIN, Texas — A day after news broke that a grand jury indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on felony securities fraud charges, Republicans weren’t rushing to Paxton’s defense.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who was Texas attorney general for 12 years, remained silent Sunday. So did GOP presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who in the past has praised Paxton.
Other Texas GOP leaders kept to themselves about Paxton, who is expected to turn himself in today near his home in suburban Dallas. Attorney Joe Kendall said in a brief statement late Saturday that he and his client would honor a judge’s instructions to not publicly comment.
Barely seven months after becoming Texas’ top law enforcement officer, Paxton faces accusations that he misled investors in a McKinney-based tech startup before taking office, special prosecutor Kent Schaffer told The New York Times.
Schaffer did not return messages seeking comment Sunday. He and a co-special prosecutor, Brian Wice, only hinted at the indictment over the weekend in a broader statement, saying they are committed to ensuring that anyone accused of a crime is guaranteed a presumption of innocence and a fair trial.
The most serious of the allegations is that Paxton encouraged investment in Servergy Inc., which is now under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Associated Press reported last month the connections between the startup and Paxton, who listed himself as a shareholder and whose name is among search terms that Servergy attorneys used to satisfy a federal subpoena.
In the middle of last year’s Republican primary, Paxton admitted to violating state securities law by not disclosing to regulators that he was receiving commissions for referring law clients to a financial planner. He paid a $1,000 fine, and aides said it was administrative oversight and that the criminal investigation was politically motivated.