By Pat Trevino | August 13, 2025

Ken Paxton wants you to believe he’s the law’s last line of defense. Just this month, He asked a judge to jail Beto O’Rourke, accusing him of defying a court order and running a “misleading financial-influence scheme” to support Democratic lawmakers who fled the state during a redistricting standoff. Paxton called it bribery. Called it criminal. Called it contempt.

But let’s be honest: look who’s calling the kettle black.

This is the same Attorney General who was impeached by the Texas House in 2023 on 20 counts—including bribery, abuse of office, and obstruction of justice—and later acquitted by the Senate. The obstruction charge, which alleged Paxton used his office to shield a donor and retaliate against whistleblowers, was dismissed not for lack of evidence, but because the Senate—dominated by his own party—refused to convict him. The evidence was there, the witnesses were there, the paper trail was there!  But Political Loyalty won out over accountability.

Meanwhile, in 2020, eight of Paxton’s senior aides reported him to the FBI. Four were fired and sued under the Texas Whistleblower Act. In April 2025, a judge ruled in their favor, awarding them $6.6 million for lost wages, emotional distress, and legal fees.

What 6.6 million will buy @ $6/meal → 1.1 million meals. That’s enough to feed 3,000 seniors one hot meal every day for a full year.

And who’s paying that bill?

Not Paxton. Not the donor. Texans are. Unless the Legislature blocks it, public funds will cover the judgment. If they don’t, the payout accrues interest—up to $1.2 million by 2027. Either way, we pay.

Just when you think the scandals couldn’t get more personal, Paxton’s wife—State Senator Angela Paxton—filed for divorce in July 2025, citing “biblical grounds” and accusing him of infidelity. She said she had “earnestly pursued reconciliation,” but that “recent discoveries” made it impossible to honor God or herself by staying in the marriage.

This isn’t just a political unraveling. It’s a moral one.

And it’s not just happening in Texas.

In January 2025, Donald Trump rescinded Biden’s ethics order.  The order of banning gifts from lobbyists and restricting post-government lobbying. Trump overturned this order. Why are we allowing this? The rollback legalized shadow lobbying and reopened the revolving door between private interests and public power. Since then, Trump has accepted a $400 million luxury jet from the Qatari royal family, which he plans to use as Air Force One and later donate to his presidential museum. Critics—including some of his own allies—have called it a bribe.

At the same time, Trump’s family cryptocurrency empire is booming. A publicly traded firm is buying $1.5 billion worth of the Trump family’s proprietary token, $WLFI, while foreign investors who purchase Trump-affiliated meme coins are being granted private dinners and White House tours. The president earned $57.4 million last year from crypto holdings alone.  Don’t tell me this is being a good business man.  It’s not!  It’s being a Con Man!

This is legalized bribery. This is influence for sale.

Meanwhile, convicted sex offenders reportedly enjoy yoga classes and public work programs, while nonviolent Americans remain locked away under the guise that they are illegal immigrants. ICE detentions continue under policies that aren’t transparent and leave the public in the dark. The FBI faces allegations of backroom deals. And the Commander-in-Chief—regardless of party—issues executive orders with little transparency or accountability.  And we have yet to see the Epstein Files!

What example are they setting?

That power protects. That truth is negotiable. That justice is selective.

Come on, Texas. We can do better.

Public office should be a place of service, not a sanctuary for misconduct. If we want integrity in leadership, we must demand it—not just in campaign seasons, but in courtrooms, budgets, and ballots. Because when lawlessness becomes the norm, democracy becomes the casualty.

“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.” — Aesop

Let me be clear: not all public servants fit this mold.
Texas is home to many principled, hardworking leaders—some of whom I’m proud to call friends. Their integrity is the reason this critique matters. Because when corruption goes unchecked, it tarnishes the work of those who serve with honor. The public trust isn’t a privilege to be taken lightly. Those who hold it must meet a standard so high that even the appearance of impropriety is unacceptable.