Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defends decision to leave home to avoid subpoena

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defended himself Monday after fleeing his home to avoid receiving a subpoena, according to a court document.

"It’s clear that the media wants to drum up another controversy involving my work as Attorney General, so they’re attacking me for having the audacity to avoid a stranger lingering outside my home and showing concern about the safety and well-being of my family," Paxton said on Twitter.

The subpoena ordering Paxton to be in court is part of a civil lawsuit filed by reproductive health groups that want to protect their patients' access to obtain legal abortion outside of Texas, where abortion became illegal after the Supreme Court overturned Roe in June.

The subpoena ordered him to a court hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday.

According to the affidavit, process server Ernesto Martin Herrera said he came to Paxton's home Monday morning looking for him. When he knocked on the door, Paxton's wife, Angela Paxton, answered. She told Herrera that Paxton was on the phone, and Herrera told her he would wait.

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After waiting more than an hour for Ken Paxton, Herrera saw him leaving his home through the garage door.

"As soon as he saw me and heard me call his name out, he turned around and RAN back inside the house through the same door in the garage," Herrera said in the affidavit.

A few minutes later, Angela Paxton got into a truck. Moments later, Ken Paxton "ran" from the house and got into the truck, and it drove away, according to the affidavit.

After realizing Paxton was not going to take the documents, Herrera said he left the legal documents on the ground, the affidavit said.

The attorney general is running for reelection this year.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas AG Ken Paxton defends decision to flee home to avoid subpoena