Former President Donald Trump criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott for his silence on the historic impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
On Saturday (May 27), the Texas House of Representatives impeached Paxton on 20 counts of bribery and breach of public trust.
The vote immediately suspended Paxton pending the outcome of a trial in the Republican-controlled state Senate and authorized Abbott to appoint a replacement.
It is not yet clear when the trial might take place, but Abbott, the state’s attorney general before Paxton took office in 2015, has been silent on Paxton all week, including following Saturday’s impeachment.
Abbott’s silence prompted Trump to take to Truth Social to post about the Governor being “MISSING IN ACTION!” regarding Paxton’s impeachment.
In an earlier Truth Social post, the former president said he would “fight” House Republicans if they impeached Paxton.
He specifically called out Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, whom he described as “barely a Republican.”
Trump, the current lead contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, also branded the impeachment process as “election interference.”
Paxton is a Trump ally who asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the election results for the 2020 election, where Trump lost to Biden.
Paxton has lambasted his impeachment as “illegal, unethical and profoundly unjust,” adding that the impeachment was “never fair or just” but rather a “politically motivated sham.’
He expressed his expectation for “a quick resolution” in the state Senate, where his wife, Angela Paxton, is a state senator and among his conservative allies.
