(My new American Thinker post)
My guess is that this is the first time that a wife has been a part of the jury in her husband's trial. One would think that the prosecution would immediately strike a juror married to the accused. Of course, this is no ordinary defendant and she is no ordinary juror. He is Ken Paxton, recently impeached as Attorney General of Texas. She is Angela Paxton, a Texas State senator who will vote yes or no on his charges.
This is the dynamic story from the Texas Tribune:
After weeks of speculation, state Sen. Angela Paxton announced late Monday that she will attend the impeachment trial of her husband, suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, the McKinney Republican said in a statement issued late Monday.
“Each time I was elected, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of this great state, and Texas law compels each member of the Senate to attend when the Senate meets as a court of impeachment,” Angela Paxton’s announcement stated. “As a member of the Senate, I hold these obligations sacred and I will carry out my duties, not because it is easy, but because the Constitution demands it and because my constituents deserve it.” Ken Paxton faces 20 articles of impeachment as a result of a months long investigation by the House General Investigating Committee. Those articles include accusations of bribery, retaliating against whistleblowers and obstruction of justice. As a result, the suspended attorney general will face a trial in the Senate by Aug. 28 in which the upper chamber’s 31 members will act as jurors in the decision of whether to remove one of the state’s top elected Republicans from office.
Texas law requires each member to attend when the Senate meets as a court of impeachment, but Angela Paxton’s participation wasn’t clear before her announcement. Her role in the impeachment has been a point of speculation since her husband was impeached just days before the regular legislative session ended in May.
Talk about stand by your man. Senator Paxton is one of 19 GOP Senators in the Texas Senate. It will take 21 votes to convict the suspended Mr. Paxton, and we assume that all 12 Democrats will vote yes.
What a horrible place for a wife to be in. If she votes "no" then the Paxton opponents will throw the flag and accuse her of this and that. Bad summer for the Paxtons, who both enjoyed strong reelections last November.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.