Texas AG Ken Paxton says he will file doxing complaints against House impeachment managers

Continuing an offensive after his impeachment acquittal, Attorney General Ken Paxton said he plans to file criminal complaints against the Texas House impeachment managers for releasing trial evidence that included his personal information.

Paxton is arguing that evidence released last week by the board of managers, which was not presented publicly during his impeachment trial in the Senate last month, essentially amounts to an attempt by the House members to maliciously share his personal information, or dox him.

Referencing a law passed by the Legislature earlier this year that went into effect last month, Paxton said he will begin filing individual complaints against each of the managers in their home counties for releasing documents that included his home address.

More: Dade Phelan asks lawmakers to give away PAC money after leader meets with Nick Fuentes

“My family and I receive multiple threats of violence," Paxton said. "The Legislature passed an anti-doxing law to stop the far left from using intimidation tactics like leaking or releasing personal information that would allow nefarious individuals to do harm to elected officials."

Paxton's home addresses in both Austin and McKinney, however, can be viewed on local public appraisal district websites.

In the document dump last week, the evidence was a reiteration of the House's claims that Paxton used his office to benefit a campaign donor, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, and was potentially subject to bribery as Paul employed a woman with whom Paxton reportedly had an extramarital affair as well as the businessman's possible financing of a remodel to Paxton's home.

One of the documents — a spreadsheet detailing address information tied to an Uber account under the name "Dave P" which was used by both Paxton and Paul according to Uber records — was originally published in the same form among nearly 4,000 pages of evidence House impeachment managers filed in August in preparation for the trial, which began Sept. 5. The Senate later acquitted Paxton on all charges.

However, Paxton said he feels that the board's additional evidence release is born from a "desire to threaten me with harm."

“I’m imploring their local prosecutors in each individual district to investigate the criminal offenses that have been committed,” Paxton said.

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Under House Bill 611, a person commits an offense if they make a post on a publicly accessible website with "the residence address or telephone number of an individual with the intent to cause harm or a threat of harm to the individual or a member of the individual’s family or household."

Unlawfully publishing such information is a Class B misdemeanor under the bill. The charge is upgraded to a Class A misdemeanor if the offense results in bodily injury to the person whose information was released.

On Monday evening, Rep. Andrew Murr, chair of the House General Investigating Committee and lead House impeachment manager, called Paxton's claim meritless and said that Paxton's complaint comes while the information in question has been public for years.

"By threatening to file meritless complaints against the Texas House Board of Managers, Attorney General Ken Paxton is once again using retaliatory tactics against those he perceives as his enemies," Murr, R-Junction, said in a statement.

"The law that Mr. Paxton cites in threatening to file criminal complaints requires an intent that does not exist in this case," he continued.

Murr said that House managers worked to make retractions of Paxton's personal details where it was warranted and that the attorney general needs to focus on his own office as opposed to attacking lawmakers.

"Growing up on a ranch, I was taught to keep the manure on the outside of my boots," Murr said. "Mr. Paxton's baseless threats about filing criminal complaints are horse manure, and they are filling his boots full."

In a comment to Bloomberg, House impeachment lawyer Rusty Hardin said his firm is considering responding to Paxton's filings if he follows through.

"If he truly tries to go forward asking for criminal charges against House managers, my firm would consider filing criminal charges against him for a false report to law enforcement," Hardin said.

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

In the impeachment aftermath, Paxton has gone after several House members who in May voted to impeach him, advancing the inquiry to the Senate. On Friday, Paxton released a statement saying he was backing seven Republican candidates who are seeking to unseat members who served on the House impeachment team.

Paxton is also supporting a challenger to House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, after having already accused Phelan of being unfit to lead the chamber and demanding that he step down from his leadership position.

Paxton's frustration with Phelan was matched Monday by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's demand that Phelan step down after a request by the House speaker for lawmakers to give away and stop accepting contributions from the Defend Texas Liberty PAC, whose leader on Friday reportedly met for several hours with a Nazi sympathizer.

Asked by reporters Monday during an impromptu news conference about Patrick's call for his resignation, Phelan waved it off with a laugh.

"It must be Monday," Phelan quipped.

In a more serious tone, Phelan said the political backbiting was little more than an annoyance.

"I'm not going to resign," he told reporters Monday afternoon. "I have the support of the Texas House. We're here to get serious policy issues; taking care of school children, teachers and school safety; and border security. That's my commitment, not outside noise."

The second-term Republican speaker took a veiled shot at Patrick for accepting $3 million in donations and loans from the far right-leaning Defend Texas Liberty PAC.

"I didn't take $3 million from a PAC that associates itself with Nazis and Nazi sympathizers," Phelan said. "That's not my problem. That's someone else's problem. ... We don't take money from this PAC. We don't associate ourselves with sexual deviants, and misfits and folks who associate themselves with Holocaust deniers."

On Monday afternoon, 59 of 85 members of the Texas House Republican Caucus signed a letter supporting Phelan's request to lawmakers to redirect to a charity of their choosing any contributions they've received from the Defend Texas Liberty PAC.

USA Today network reporter John Moritz contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas AG says he'll file criminal complaints against foes for doxing