U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a former aide to Texas AG Ken Paxton, calls on him to resign
- Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Department of Justice
“I’ve always said that in politics, your enemies can’t hurt you, but your friends will kill you,” former Texas governor Ann Richards once said.
Looks like that adage could be put to the test as Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faces allegations from former staffers of bribery and other crimes.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, once a key Paxton aide, called on his former boss to resign after members of the AG’s staff requested federal law enforcement officials look into his conduct.
“For the good of the people of Texas and the extraordinary public servants who serve at the Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General Ken Paxton must resign,” the GOP congressman said in a statement provided to the Texas Tribune. “The allegations of bribery, abuse of office, and other charges levied against him by at least 7 senior leaders of the Office of the Attorney General are more than troubling on the merits.”
The request by Roy follows cautious statements by a pair of Paxton’s key allies, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
“These allegations raise serious concerns,” Abbott said Sunday in a written statement. “I will withhold further comment until the results of any investigation are complete.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the news “obviously concerning” but added that he too would withhold further comment until after an investigation.
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