Most folks who file lawsuits are not afforded the opportunity to submit comments to the media. Most times, the media is not interested in yet another employment lawsuit. But, most lawsuits are not filed against Ken Paxton. AG Paxton never hesitates to discuss and deflect his legal troubles. In a recent interview, AG Paxton claimed the whistle blowers never came to him with their concerns before going public. He also claimed the four whistle blowers “infiltrated” his office to investigate their concerns. I previously wrote about the whistle blower lawsuit against the AG here and here.
The four whistle blowers, James Blake Brickman, Mark Penley, Ryan Vassar, and David Maxwell, all former top officers at the Attorney General’s office, say none of this true. They say they approached AG Paxton multiple times asking about his push to intervener in supporter Nate Paul’s problems. The four former top assistants say they can point to specific dates when they individually or as a group warned the AG that his actions were not lawful.
They also attack the 374 page report, signed by no one, which Paxton claims exonerates him. The four former top officials say the report does not even address some of the more serious allegations.
AG Paxton lost an appeal of the denial of his motion to dismiss. He then appealed the decision to the Texas Supreme Court. Submitting that appeal effectively means there will be no decision before the next election. See Texas Tribune report here.
AG Paxton is not helping his case by speaking publicly about it. Those public statements simply give the four plaintiffs an opportunity to address again their allegations. In this way, they help educate the jury pool.