Ken Paxton impeachment trial live updates: Senate breaks Friday night without verdict

LATEST UPDATES: Texas Senate to vote on Ken Paxton impeachment verdict at 10:30 a.m. Saturday

Senators continue deliberating Paxton verdict Saturday morning

After leaving the Capitol on Friday evening without a decision on whether to convict or acquit suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the 30 senators that sit as jurors in the high profile impeachment proceeding are continuing their deliberations Saturday morning.

As per a Friday order from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the presiding officer over the court of impeachment, senators are to resume private discussions on Paxton's verdict at 9 a.m. Saturday, after members were required to remain at the Capitol until around 8 p.m. Friday night.

After two weeks of sitting quietly through hours of witness testimony as thousands of pages of evidence were introduced, the senators are now in the driver's seat of the proceeding after closing arguments from both Paxton's legal team and House impeachment managers wrapped up shortly before noon Friday.

Likely speaking from his own experience as one of the House members who made the case in the lower chamber to charge Paxton with offenses ranging from constitutional bribery and disregarding his official duties to firing the once-trusted aides who had warned him he was straying outside of legal bounds, Rep. Jeff Leach R-Plano, expressed to the Senate that it's a hard vote the body has to take and it's a difficult choice to make.

"This will, if you're like me, be the hardest, the most difficult, the heaviest vote that you will ever cast in your time in the Legislature," Leach said.

Leach's comments followed those of his colleague, Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, who continued the argument that Paxton only looked to serve himself as one of Texas' highest ranking elected officials.

Tony Buzbee, Paxton's lead attorney, remained staunch in his defense that there has been no legitimate grounds presented in the trial for Paxton's removal, railing against a political witch hunt and a "moral superiority" in bringing up Paxton's reported affair with Laura Olson, a woman once expected to testify but later was excused by Patrick earlier this week.

Buzbee called the accusations against Paxton, "much ado about nothing."

"When the house Board of Managers brought this case, they made an assumption. They assumed that this man would quit," Buzbee said in his closing argument Friday. "They assumed that this man would run and hide."

As the senators discuss Paxton's fate, it remains unclear when the announcement will be handed down. A verdict from the body could come anytime, and the public will be given 30 minutes notice before a Senate vote takes place, Patrick said.

Paxton is facing 16 articles of impeachment and will be removed from office if at least two-thirds of the Senate, or 21 of 30 eligible senators, find him guilty of any one charge. Paxton's wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, has been barred from partaking in the deliberations or voting on her husband's political fate.

If he's found guilty of any article, Paxton will likely face a second vote that could permanently ban him from serving in an elected office in Texas.

For updates as information becomes available throughout the day Saturday, follow along here.

Senate breaks Friday night without verdict; deliberations resume Saturday

After Texas senators spent several hours deliberating behind closed doors Friday afternoon and into the evening on whether to find suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton guilty or innocent of any of the several charges, including bribery and abuse of office, levied against him in 16 articles of impeachment, the lawmakers, who are serving as jurors, didn't return to the chamber to take a vote.

The senators, who are expected to take a public vote on the impeachment articles, will return to the Capitol at 9 a.m. Saturday to resume deliberations.

By 7:30 p.m. Friday, many of the parking spots senators normally take up were empty.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, whose vehicle was also gone, told senators they had to talk until at least 8 p.m. Friday if they didn't come to a decision before, but reporters at the Capitol spotted several senators leaving Friday evening.

The Senate's secretary confirmed that deliberations were done for the night.

Ken Paxton's political fate in Texas Senate's hands

Just before noon Friday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick adjourned suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial after the Texas House impeachment managers and Paxton's defense team presented their closing arguments.

Patrick instructed the 30 eligible senators to head to a deliberation room and discuss the 16 articles of impeachment against Paxton to decide if the attorney general is guilty or innocent of the charges, including bribery and abuse of office.

The defense team closed its arguments insisting that the prosecution hadn't proven beyond a reasonable doubt whether Paxton had committed any wrongdoing.

Lead Paxton attorney Tony Buzbee called the House's case "much ado about nothing."

Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, spent his closing remarks to senators walking through each of the articles of impeachment one by one and played audio from the previous eight days of trial testimony that he said supported removing the attorney general from office.

Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, a House impeachment manager who also took the floor for closing remarks, implored the senators to consider their vote carefully.

"The people of Texas deserve answers," Leach said.

The impeachment court will reconvene after the senators have reached their decisions, Patrick said.

Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, is prohibited from participating in the decisions on her husband's fate.

If Paxton is found guilty of even one charge, he will be removed from office. Senators can then take another vote to determine if he should be barred from ever holding public office in Texas.

Murr, Buzbee begin closing arguments in Paxton impeachment

During closing arguments Friday morning, Junction-based Republican Rep. Andrew Murr called on senators to impeach suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Murr, who led the team of House members who investigated Paxton this spring, said Paxton's claims about not conducting misdeeds were "divorce from reality."

Paxton's commitment to delivering results for Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer and Paxton campaign donor, damaged the attorney general's office, Murr said.

While voters elected Paxton, "they have blindly ignored the fact that he has ultimately ended up serving one person: himself," Murr said.

Tony Buzbee, who's leading Paxton's legal defense, delivered his closing remarks standing next to a poster of prosecution team leader Rusty Hardin that said "10 times worse." In pre-trial remarks, Hardin said the evidence would be 10 times worse than what the public knew knew before the trial.

Buzbee called the proceedings a "political witch hunt" and argued the prosecution hadn't proven Paxton's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

"They didn't prove anything other than they don't like Ken Paxton," Buzbee said.

Day nine in Paxton impeachment to begin with closing arguments

The eighth day of the impeachment trial for suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ended in a dramatic sweep Thursday when the defense team rested its case after calling only four witnesses. Closing arguments from both the House prosecutors and Paxton's lawyers are expected Friday.

The defense team called its witnesses for the first time Thursday after House prosecutors rested their case Wednesday.

Paxton's lawyers on Thursday called four witnesses, all current employees of the attorney general's office. The defense team asked questions that sought to refute claims Paxton had improperly ordered the release of an FBI brief concerning Nate Paul — an Austin real estate developer and Paxton campaign donor — to the the businessman's lawyers.

Thursday's proceedings also included testimony from Austin Kinghorn, the attorney general's associate deputy for legal counsel, who defended his boss against claims Paxton improperly accessed information to benefit Paul.

"It's his agency," Kinghorn said.

When House prosecutors asked Kinghorn who he represents — the state of Texas or Paxton — he said, "I do not see them in conflict."

Paxton, who is facing possible removal from office on 16 impeachment charges, including bribery and abuse of office, has been suspended without pay since the House on May 27 voted overwhelmingly to impeach him. Two-thirds support from the Senate, or 21 of 30 eligible members, will be required to find Paxton guilty of any charge. If Paxton is found guilty of even one charge, he will be removed from office. Senators could then take up a second vote to permanently bar Paxton from holding elected office in Texas.

Follow along here for live updates from the American-Statesman's Keri Heath and Tony Plohetski:

Past coverage:

Takeaways from Day 8: Paxton's actions at heart of impeachment case were legal, lawyer for AG's office testifies

What happened yesterday?: Updates from Day 8 of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial

Good to know: Who are the key players in Paxton's impeachment trial?

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Ken Paxton impeachment trial: Senate breaks Friday night without verdict