AUSTIN, Texas — As Texans prepare for the “trial of the century” so far in Texas, what exactly should they be watching for?
Matt Mackowiak, a GOP political consultant and the chair of the Travis County Republican Party, said the first developments he’ll be looking for are the rulings on the motions to dismiss.
Paxton’s defense team has filed several. So, the question is whether the trial will be over before it even starts.
Mackowiak said he doesn’t think so, as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said more than once that he takes the matter very seriously.
Next, the political consultant is wondering what exactly we’ll learn once witnesses start taking the stand.
“There’s been a drip, drip here for the last four weeks or so. Different things have come out. You know, there’s a gag order that affects the participants, but there’s not a gag order on leaks and on media stories and I’m sure that’s deeply frustrating if you’re the Paxton team,” Mackowiak told us on Y’all-itics.
Specifically, Mackowiak said he wants to know if there’s new information that undermines the “prior-election doctrine” being raised by Paxton’s defense.
It states, in essence, that you can’t impeach someone for actions that took place in a previous election cycle on the grounds that voters were, in theory, aware of those actions, even potentially illegal ones, and elected the candidate anyway.
That leads directly to the next development Mackowiak is interested in - the type of defense Paxton’s team will offer.
“During the House portion of the impeachment, that operated really, or functioned sort of as a grand jury, so there was really no opportunity, or no real tradition, for Paxton’s team to be able to present evidence, to call witnesses, to respond, to testify, etc. So, we really haven’t heard a strong defense,” said the GOP chair.
And the last question Mackowiak said he would like answered is the same one many Texans have been asking: Will Ken Paxton be forced to testify?
It will take a two-thirds vote to impeach Paxton.
There are 31 Senators, but Republican Sen. Angela Paxton, the suspended AG’s wife, has no vote under the agreed upon rules.
If all 12 Democrats vote to impeach, that leaves Paxton’s fate in the hands of 18 Republican Senators.
If nine cross over and also vote to impeach, he is removed from office.
In other words, Paxton’s fate is in the hands of 10 Republican Senators.
In the meantime, in Paxton’s home of Collin County, Republican Precinct Chair David Lethe is one of the few voices there to publicly support the impeachment trial.
“I’m an engineer, quality control. I look at things. I read things. Facts matter. Issues matter. And I was a big proponent as soon as I heard about it. First thing I did is read the original documents. And for my opinion, we’ve got to investigate this. We’ve got to put it to bed. Ken Paxton has got to have the opportunity to explain his point-of-view,” Lethe said on Y’all-itics.
Lethe says his precinct, 119, is actually more purple, a solid mix of Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
And he says they are all very much on the same page that the trial needs to play out.
“It just needs to be put to bed. And that’s the bottom line. I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but if I had to go to Vegas and lay money on it, then yeah, I’d say the Senate is not going to be able to prove their case and he’s going to be acquitted of everything,” said Lethe.
But Lethe is also blunt when explaining why he thinks Paxton should just resign. And Mackowiak also discusses which specific Senators you should be watching during the impeachment hearing… and why. Listen to the entire episode of Y’all-itics to learn more. Cheers!
