Ex-aide to Paxton testifies about home renovation, affair allegations at impeachment trial

After hearing testimony Wednesday that a former close aide to suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was concerned over the possibility that a friend had paid for expensive new kitchen countertops in Paxton's home in Austin's Tarrytown neighborhood, the three-term Republican's lawyer showed the impeachment court photos that he said proved no new countertops were installed.

The revelation came on the seventh day of the trial in the Texas Senate that will determine whether Paxton will be permanently removed from office and appeared to undercut one of the main charges against the attorney general. One of the 16 impeachment articles charges Paxton with constitutional bribery and specifically mentions that Paxton's friend and campaign donor Nate Paul paid for renovations to the home of Paxton and his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney.

Andrew Wicker, the former Paxton aide and confidante, testified Wednesday that he was troubled when he first heard Paul might be paying for the renovations. He also testified that he was troubled by an encounter at an Austin hotel involving Paxton and a woman with whom the attorney general was reportedly having an extramarital affair.

Wicker, who in 2020 managed Paxton's schedule and often served as his driver, gave his first public account of how he went from being a close friend of the attorney general and his wife to worrying that his boss had become compromised before finally resigning from the his job and returning money that he had been paid after leaving because "I didn't do the work."

"I didn't want it to appear as though I might have any conflict of interest if anything like this ever came about," he said, referring to possible future legal actions.

Wicker's testimony came as the time allotted for the impeachment managers to make their case was fast running out, perhaps leaving little time later on Wednesday to question under oath the woman who is reported to have been romantically linked to Paxton. She had not been called to testify as of press deadline.

Part of the questioning by an impeachment managers' attorney, Erin Epley, centered on a remark Wicker heard during a visit to Paxton's home while the renovation was in progress when a contractor said he'd "have to check with Nate" to discuss a possible upgrade to the work being done.

Wicker said he understood that as a reference to Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer who was a Paxton friend and campaign donor at the center of the bribery charges against the attorney general.

The remark rattled Wicker, he testified, because it suggested an improper financial arrangement. He asked Paxton about it later, to which the attorney general replied that Paul was not paying for the renovations, Wicker said. Still, Wicker remained "uncomfortable" over the possibility that Paxton had not leveled with him, he said.

Under cross-examination by Paxton lawyer Tony Buzbee, Wicker acknowledged that his concerns had never been independently corroborated. Asked bluntly if he was accusing Paxton of accepting a bribe, which is among the impeachment allegations, Wicker responded, "I'm not accusing anybody of anything."

Showing Wicker photos said to have been taken last month showing the pre-renovation countertops and kitchen cabinetry still in place in Paxton's home, Buzbee said to Wicker, "We can see there was no work done on the countertops ... and cabinetry, right?"

"Yes, sir," Wicker replied.

That exchange came after an extended discussion over whether that photo and others that suggest Paul did not bankroll Paxton's home renovations should be admitted into evidence. Epley contended that there was no way to authenticate the photos.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is presiding over the trial, said the proceeding could last into the weekend and that no days off will be allowed after senators begin their deliberations. If 21 of the 30 voting senators convict Paxton on one or more of the charges, he'd be forced out of office.

The impeachment managers called Wicker to demonstrate that nearly all of Paxton's close aides had concerns over the attorney general's association with Paul, who at time was the subject of a federal investigation into his business dealings. Paul had turned to Paxton to help discredit the federal inquiry as a frame-up.

In June, Paul was indicted on eight counts of mortgage fraud by a federal grand jury.

Wicker said that over the course of his employment, he had become friends with Paxton and his wife, the state senator from McKinney who will not have a vote in her husband's trial. Wicker said he and the attorney general "bonded over football" and discussions on politics. He said the couple was "welcoming," and he likened Angela Paxton to a "mother" figure.

His duties often required him to work in close contact with Paxton eight to 10 hours a day, including weekends. He even acted on the couple's behalf dealing with insurance adjusters evaluating the water damage to the couple's home after a rainy spring. He likened his relation to Paxton to that of a son.

On cross-examination, Buzbee attempted to shoot down any significance regarding Wicker seeing Paxton and Laura Olson, the woman with whom Paxton was having an affair, leaving an elevator at downtown Austin's Omni Hotel.

"You don't have any personal knowledge about their relationship other than you saw a woman come out of the elevator, right?" Buzbee asked.

"I saw Laura Olson come out of the elevator," Wicker replied.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Affair allegations dominate day 7 of Ken Paxton impeachment trial