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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has spent years dodging legal and public relations blows that could have thrown others out of politics.
However, the Republican has proven to be very cunning towards his political opponents and accusers, winning reelection and achieving national prominence as a conservative crusader, even under suspicion of serious crimes.
However, criminal charges by Paxton’s top aides have led him to face a formidable new opponent: a federal prosecutor with a team of seasoned FBI agents and a long history of sending corrupt public officials to prison.
Paxton has not been charged with a crime in the months that have passed since eight senior officials in his office reported him to the FBI for bribery, abuse of power and other crimes allegedly committed to aid a wealthy donor who was trying to circumvent his own federal investigation. .
Federal investigators are investigating the Attorney General’s actions and his relationships with Nate Paul, an Austin real estate entrepreneur who employed a woman with whom Paxton is said to have had an extramarital affair.
The investigation would be led by United States Attorney General Joe Blackwell, whose office is in San Antonio, according to a person familiar with the investigation and who insisted on anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
Paxton has denied any wrongdoing. His recent unsuccessful lawsuit for trying to overturn the presidential election has raised questions about whether he was actually seeking the protection of a powerful ally: President Donald Trump.
A tough but fair prosecutor
The US Attorney’s Office for West Texas declined to comment and allow Blackwell to give an interview. Federal prosecutors and the FBI generally do not confirm ongoing investigations.
Blackwell, who coordinates public integrity cases in a region that stretches more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) to El Paso, is a tough but fair prosecutor, according to former colleagues and opposition attorneys alike. He has a knack for summarizing the complex facts of white collar investigations, a down-to-earth demeanor, and a slight Louisiana accent that wins him over to jurors.
“He’s probably the best trial attorney I’ve ever seen,” said Sean O’Connell, a Virginia attorney who worked with Blackwell as a federal prosecutor in Texas.
The most prominent case for Blackwell, 45, was the 2018 trial of former state senator Carlos Uresti, in which the former legislator was indicted on charges of money laundering and fraud.
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