Ken Paxton

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has faced multiple legal and ethical controversies during his career. In July 2015, he was indicted on felony securities fraud charges for allegedly soliciting investors for Servergy Inc. without disclosing his compensation. In March 2024, Paxton reached a pretrial agreement to resolve the case by performing 100 hours of community service, completing 15 hours of legal ethics training, and paying approximately $271,000 in restitution; he did not admit guilt. In 2020, senior staff reported Paxton to the FBI, alleging he abused his office to benefit campaign donor Nate Paul. These allegations led to 20 articles of impeachment by the Texas House in May 2023 for bribery and abuse of public trust. The Texas Senate acquitted him of all charges in September 2023. A related federal investigation into these allegations concluded in early 2025 when the Justice Department decided not to pursue charges. Paxton reached a $3.3 million settlement with whistleblowers who were fired after reporting his activities to the FBI. Additionally, the State Bar of Texas sued him for professional misconduct regarding his legal challenges to the 2020 presidential election results. Most recently, his office faced an audit and internal resignations following reports that employees improperly reallocated taxpayer-funded hotel rooms to private donors.