| 1 | 1 | | 88S30457 BPG-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Tinderholt H.R. No. 16 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, On September 16, 2023, the Texas Senate acquitted |
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| 7 | 7 | | Attorney General Ken Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment |
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| 8 | 8 | | considered in a two-week trial; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The Senate also voted to dismiss four other articles |
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| 10 | 10 | | of impeachment that the chamber agreed to set aside prior to the |
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| 11 | 11 | | trial, which stemmed from secretive, rushed, and flawed proceedings |
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| 12 | 12 | | in the Texas House in May 2023; and |
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| 13 | 13 | | WHEREAS, Just two days after the House General Investigating |
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| 14 | 14 | | Committee revealed that it had spent months surreptitiously |
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| 15 | 15 | | scrutinizing the actions of Attorney General Paxton, it recommended |
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| 16 | 16 | | impeachment; it failed to put witnesses under oath during its |
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| 17 | 17 | | investigation and then failed to follow the rules of evidence in |
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| 18 | 18 | | alleging wrongdoing, basing its case on hearsay that would never be |
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| 19 | 19 | | admissible in a court of law; Attorney General Paxton was not given |
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| 20 | 20 | | the opportunity to defend himself to the Investigating Committee; |
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| 21 | 21 | | and |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, The House General Investigating Committee failed to |
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| 23 | 23 | | provide House members with adequate time or means to evaluate the |
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| 24 | 24 | | information it presented; the first impeachment of a statewide |
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| 25 | 25 | | official in over a century proceeded at warp speed, and despite a |
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| 26 | 26 | | complete lack of evidence, within two days, the House voted to |
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| 27 | 27 | | impeach, causing Attorney General Paxton's automatic suspension |
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| 28 | 28 | | from office pending a trial in the Senate; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, In September, the fair and deliberative Senate trial |
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| 30 | 30 | | exposed the haste, flimsiness, and unfairness of the House |
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| 31 | 31 | | impeachment process, and Attorney General Paxton was duly |
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| 32 | 32 | | vindicated; the impeachment process in the House was a debacle that |
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| 33 | 33 | | undermined its legitimacy and integrity, and in order to restore |
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| 34 | 34 | | public faith, it must make amends for the grievous errors |
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| 35 | 35 | | committed; now, therefore, be it |
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| 36 | 36 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 37 | 37 | | Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby extend a formal apology to |
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| 38 | 38 | | Attorney General Ken Paxton; and, be it further |
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| 39 | 39 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 40 | 40 | | prepared for Attorney General Ken Paxton as an expression of |
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| 41 | 41 | | sincere contrition by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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