Ken Paxton makes political threats against three House members behind his impeachment

Fresh off an acquittal in his impeachment trial in the Texas Senate, Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened political revenge against three House members whom he deems responsible for trying to remove him from office.

During a radio interview Thursday, Paxton told Dallas-based host Mark Davis that he will be "on the campaign trail" to support GOP primary opponents of House Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont and Reps. Andrew Murr of Junction in the Hill Country and Jeff Leach of Plano.

"I'm highly motivated," Paxton said. "I'll be spending a lot of time in Beaumont. I'll be spending a lot of time in Kerrville, where Murr is. I'll be spending a lot of time in Collin County. There's a lot of Collin County reps that didn't talk to me. ... I will definitely be speaking out, and Jeff Leach, get ready."

The primary will be six months from now on March 5.

Not guilty: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton acquitted in impeachment trial

The interview with Davis was Paxton's sixth in a two-day period, all of them with conservative hosts or reporters, as he is finally free to speak after a gag order ended with the trial. Many of the interviews had a common theme as Paxton railed against his political adversaries and advanced claims that he was the victim of a political witch hunt by Democrats and moderate Republicans over his hard-line conservative ideals.

On Wednesday, in a sit-down interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Paxton turned heads in teasing to a possible 2026 primary challenge against Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton blasted Cornyn for being "vacant" on border security and said he had not done enough in his four terms to help Texans. The remarks came after Cornyn, during Paxton's trial, declined to support him publicly and instead expressed concern about the allegations being presented.

A day later, in the Davis interview, Paxton somewhat walked back his threat to challenge Cornyn.

"I don't necessarily have a plan to do that," he said. "What I want to do is my job right now, but I'm not ruling out anything."

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Though the Cornyn comments were a surprise, Paxton's threats against the three Texas House members were not. Paxton and his lawyers have blasted the House process that led to his impeachment in May, arguing that investigators' findings included hearsay evidence, and have accused House leaders of not letting Paxton or his representatives be heard to challenge the allegations.

Phelan, as the House leader, greenlighted the investigation, and Murr, who heads a House investigative panel, ran point. Leach was among five Collin County Republicans to vote in favor of Paxton's impeachment. But more than the other four, he seems to have drawn Paxton's ire not only for that vote but for his remarks during closing arguments in the Senate trial when he said Paxton, a former friend from Collin County with whom he had attended church and football games, was no longer fit for office and should be removed.

Voting mostly on party lines, the Senate acquitted Paxton on all 16 counts in a case that alleged bribery and misuse of office in his relationship with Austin businessman Nate Paul, a campaign donor. In none of the interviews Wednesday or Thursday did Paxton mention or threaten politically the two Republicans who voted to remove him: Sens. Kelly Hancock of North Richland Hills and Robert Nichols of Jacksonville. Neither senator is up for reelection until 2026.

After his acquittal in the Senate, Paxton, a three-term Republican who had been suspended for more than three months, was immediately restored to office. He told Davis, the radio host, that the total cost for his defense was around $4.5 million. He said none of that was paid with public money.

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Over his multiple interviews, Paxton blamed President Joe Biden for triggering the impeachment. Providing no supporting evidence, he said it was retaliation for the dozens of lawsuits the state attorney general's office has brought against the federal government during Biden's time as president.

"This came straight from the Biden administration after I sued them 48 times," Paxton told Houston radio host Michael Berry on Thursday. "Dade Phelan was happy to participate even though I had no personal issue with him."

As for the threats against the House members, Paxton's influence in the GOP primary remains to be seen. With three months to go until the Dec. 21 filing deadline, Murr has attracted one challenger, Wesley Virdell, a gun rights advocate who challenged Murr in 2022. As for Phelan, two challengers have announced campaigns in his district: David Covey, a former Orange County Republican chair; and Alicia Davis, a retired hairdresser and U.S. Postal Service employee.

Leach, for now, does not have an opponent, but if one comes, he said he's not backing down from Paxton.

In response to Paxton's threat for him to "get ready," Leach posted a video to the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, of high school football players gearing up for a game. In unison, they sing Archie Eversole's 2002 pump-up anthem "We Ready."

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Paxton makes political threats against House members behind impeachment