Quick takes from several sources on the Republican Party's continuing debauchery, this time on the state level.
Even in the long, sordid history of Texas political scandals, [Attorney General Ken] Paxton stands out.
[Paxton's acquittal] came after sustained pressure on senators from grassroots groups, conservative activists and the leader of the state Republican Party who vowed retribution at the ballot box if Paxton was convicted.
The House impeachment managers, with glum expressions, watched helplessly as each of the articles they had meticulously prepared were rejected — one by a 28-2 margin.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, once his role as impartial judge was fulfilled, ripped into the House and its leadership for filing the case in the first place.
Jim Henson, of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, said "You have an example of somebody who has successfully fought the system in the face of pretty strong evidence. It will be emboldening to people."
The defense team slammed the proceeding as a political witch hunt orchestrated by Paxton’s rivals.... Trump surrogates and allies pressured Republican senators not to impeach Paxton, posting names and phone numbers of potential impeachment swing voters and urging Paxton supporters to phone their offices. Conservative activists threatened to mount primary challenges to those who voted to convict, as they already have against Republicans in the House.
“The weaponization of the impeachment process to settle political differences is not only wrong, it is immoral and corrupt,” said Paxton in a statement. He added, "Buckle up, because your lawless policies" — this, directed at the Biden Administration — "will not go unchallenged."
[Lt. Gov.] Patrick received a $1 million contribution and a $2 million loan to his campaign from Defend Texas Liberty, a group strongly backing Mr. Paxton. After the acquittal, the group’s leader promised "to lead the charge to fire" those Republicans who supported the impeachment.
Noted The Texas Tribune in a kind of "Keep the Faith" effort:
"Despite the victory, Paxton's troubles are far from over. He faces trial on charges of securities fraud dating back to 2015. More dangerous to Paxton is a federal investigation that began when the attorney general’s senior aides reported him to the FBI in 2020, alleging crimes that mirror the impeachment charges. That case has reached a grand jury in San Antonio. A new criminal indictment carries far higher stakes than impeachment. Campaigning to stay in office is one thing; fighting to remain out of prison is another entirely."
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Republicans' greatest enemy today is not the Biden Administration, nor Attorney General Merrick Garland, nor Special Counsel Jack Smith, nor even the Justice Department at large. Their greatest enemy is history, a concept, a tradition: the rule of law itself. Which is why they hammer the lie to the weak-minded about the corrupt, immoral "weaponization of the [law] to settle political differences." They must undermine Americans' belief in the most fundamental facet of any honorable society: the reign of detached justice, not self-interested men. From there they can make up the rules as they go, depending on which rules benefit and protect them. From French revolutionaries to Hitlerites, the destruction of a nation's most elementary foundation has always been Job One of authoritarians.