Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton danced around accountability yet again | Opinion
settled a lawsuit brought by four former top aidesIt is a win for Paxton and the whistleblowers, whose careers in the attorney general’s office ended when they took on their boss. The settlement, however, is a loss for transparency and accountability.
The Texas Legislature would be wise to block the funding and force this back into court. If left to stand, this settlement would conceal the details of the underlying accusations from public view, leave the state picking up the check to the whistleblowers, and most of all, leave unanswered the ethical questions that in the public interest need to be resolved.apologize without an admission of liability or fault and the state will pay $3.
to the whistleblowers, if the Legislature writes the check. In exchange, Paxton averts a reckoning in court, something that he has avoided throughout his tenure as attorney general. Aside from the unsatisfying end to this litigation, Paxton’s post-settlement statement epitomizes the passive-aggressive hypocrisy with which he has run the office. Paxton said the settlement will “save taxpayer dollars” and haughtily described the accusations as an “unfortunate sideshow.”
Yes, the settlement will save taxpayers from an even more protracted and expensive court battle. But no, this clash was not a sideshow. Paxton’s top aides, people who are unlikely to put their jobs on the line without reasonable belief of serious problems within the office, alleged corrupt behavior.
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