Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Through political action, legal, academic and market research, and grassroots initiatives, TLR fights for common-sense reforms that keep Texas open for business.

  • About TLR
    • Our Mission
    • Our Team
    • Timeline of Reforms
  • Videos
  • Issues
  • Resource Center
    • Special Reports
    • In the News
    • Press Releases
    • The Advocate
    • TLR Blog: For the Record
  • Get Involved
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Invite a TLR Speaker
  • Donate
  • Stay Informed
In the News

Texas senators grill embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton over election lawsuit, Google case

Dallas Morning News, February 10, 2021

By Allie Morris

AUSTIN — Facing tough questions from state senators, embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defended his office’s failed effort to overturn presidential election results in key battleground states and its decision to spend millions of dollars on a lawsuit against Google.

The Senate finance hearing Wednesday marks the first time Paxton has had to answer publicly to state legislators about his controversial, high-profile actions over the last several months.

The Republican has drawn national criticism for challenging the election results in four other states and attending the pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., before a mob attacked the Capitol. The state’s top attorney is also being sued for retaliation by several former senior staff after they accused him of abusing the office to help a friend and campaign donor. The FBI is investigating the accusations, which Paxton has denied, according to The Associated Press.

Senators of both parties were uncharacteristically critical of the state’s top lawyer.

Several questioned his office’s request for $43 million to cover outside legal services to support antitrust litigation against Google. Roughly $20 million is needed to pay for subject experts, agency officials said Wednesday.

Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, questioned why the office needed to hire outside lawyers when lawmakers have funded pay raises in the past to help the agency retain top legal talent.

“I continue to have big concerns about some of the outside counsel that is being hired,” she said during the committee hearing in Austin.

Several Republican senators raised concern about a settlement agreement reached with opioid manufacturers they said could cut the Legislature out of decisions over how the money is spent.

At one point, finance committee Chairwoman Jane Nelson told Paxton she was “very, very unhappy” the agency allocated tens of millions of dollars to raise salaries without legislative approval at a time when money is tight.

“We have an appropriations process for a reason and if every agency did what yours did, General Paxton, we wouldn’t have a budget,” said Nelson, R-Flower Mound. “We wouldn’t even need a budget.”

Paxton said he wished the agency “had done that one differently.”

Otherwise, the second-term attorney general largely stood his ground. He defended the agency’s decision to bring on two outside firms to lead the antitrust case against Google, a tech company he called a “significant force.”

“Google has pretty much unlimited resources. There was never anybody in my office that could handle that alone,” he said. “We wanted to be able to compete on the same playing field.”

While lawmakers questioned Paxton about his agency’s dealings, none asked directly about the criminal allegations lodged against him by his top staff last fall. Seven of the agency’s top employees accused Paxton of using the office to benefit campaign donor Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer. They have all since left, after being fired or resigning, and several are now suing the agency.

Paxton has denied the claims, saying the officials thwarted his agency’s ability to investigate claims of wrongdoing Paul made against federal agents who raided his home in 2019.

Sen. Royce West grilled Paxton on his unsuccessful legal bid to overturn election results in four states that helped Democrat Joe Biden win the presidency.

West, D-Dallas, pressed agency officials about how much the state spent pursuing the lawsuit, though the total cost is still unknown. Two outside attorneys who worked on the case did it for free and printing costs were $12,000, First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster said.

Paxton, Webster and a few other attorneys worked on preparing and filing the case, Webster said. The cost of their time is not known. Their work hours were not tracked, he said.

“This is a leadership-led initiative,” he said.

The New York Times has reported the election complaint was written by attorneys close to President Donald Trump and then filed by Paxton’s office. That did not come up Wednesday.

Follow us on Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

6 hours ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

When 30-year-old Quinnton Allen violated his parole for possession of a firearm, a Houston judge not only allowed him to stay on parole but granted him a PR bond for a felony. Unfortunately, the decision to release him on bond may have cost a man’s life. Read and share: bit.ly/3OvDU5z ... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

29-year-old man murdered after judge grants felony PR bond to armed robber recently paroled from prison

bit.ly

HOUSTON – “I’ve never had any of these defendants we’ve profiled on Breaking Bond on parole and on a felony PR bond charged with murder,” said Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers. “This is a fi...
View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 0
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 3

Comment on Facebook

That judge should be held accountable

His family should get a good lawyer & sue the city & the judge…

The judge should be held as an accomplice to the murder before the fact and sued in civil court for his contribution to the death of the citizen.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

1 day ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Texas ports are thriving today, but in the early 2000s, abusive personal injury lawsuits threatened to shut them down. As the Port of Houston begins a long-awaited expansion, read more about the common-sense lawsuit reform in 2007 that saved our state’s shipping industry in this week’s TLR blog, For the Record: bit.ly/3aeTy6n ... See MoreSee Less

Learn More

Play
View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 4
  • Shares: 2
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

2 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Wishing everyone a very happy Fourth of July! ... See MoreSee Less

Wishing everyone a very happy Fourth of July!
View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 5
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 1

Comment on Facebook

Happy Independence Day America Today we celebrate our Republic 🇺🇸


Follow us on Twitter

lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
6h 1544713193846603777

When 30-year-old Quinnton Allen violated his parole for possession of a firearm, a Houston judge not only allowed him to stay on parole but granted him a PR bond for a felony. The decision to release him on bond may have cost a man’s life. Read & RT:

29-year-old man murdered after judge grants felony PR bond to armed robber recently paroled from prison

HOUSTON – “I’ve never had any of these defendants we’ve profiled on Breaking Bond on parole and on a felony PR bond charged with m...

bit.ly

Reply on Twitter 1544713193846603777Retweet on Twitter 1544713193846603777Like on Twitter 1544713193846603777Twitter 1544713193846603777
lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
24h 1544441042120089600

Sign up for the TLR Weekly News Roundup to receive a daily digest of headlines & news stories about #lawsuitreform from Texas & around the country!

Sign up for the TLR Weekly News Roundup!

Please use the form below to receive a daily digest of TLR Clips - headlines and news stories about lawsuit reform from Texas and around the country.

bit.ly

Reply on Twitter 1544441042120089600Retweet on Twitter 1544441042120089600Like on Twitter 15444410421200896001Twitter 1544441042120089600
lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
5 Jul 1544407069297614851

Texas ports are thriving, but in the early 2000s, abusive lawsuits threatened to shut them down. Read more about the common-sense reform that saved our state’s shipping industry in this week’s TLR blog, For the Record: https://bit.ly/3aeTy6n

Twitter feed video.
Image for the Tweet beginning: Texas ports are thriving, but
Reply on Twitter 1544407069297614851Retweet on Twitter 15444070692976148512Like on Twitter 1544407069297614851Twitter 1544407069297614851

Texans for Lawsuit Reform
1701 Brun Street
Houston, Texas 77019

Ph. 713-963-9363
  • About TLR
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Timeline of Reforms
  • Videos
  • Issues
  • Resource Center
  • For the Record
  • Special Reports
  • In the News
  • Press Releases
  • Invite a TLR Speaker
  • Get Involved
  • Invite a TLR Speaker
  • Donate
  • Stay Informed
  • Contact TLR

Copyright © 2022 · Texans for Lawsuit Reform. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Texans for Lawsuit Reform.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy