According to the AP, the sources “insisted on anonymity to discuss the investigation because it is ongoing.”
News broke last month that several senior aides in the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) had accused Paxton of abuse of office and bribery in connection to his relationship with Austin real estate developer Nate Paul.
Since then, all of the whistleblowers have been fired, resigned, or placed on investigative leave.
Last week, four of the whistleblowers filed a lawsuit in a Travis County district court that shed more light on their allegations.
In August of 2019, the FBI raided the home and offices of Paul as part of an investigation.
The whistleblowers claim that shortly after the raid, Paxton began using his office to assist Paul.
They contend that the attorney general took an unusual interest in open records requests, civil litigation, and the response to a legal opinion, all of which benefited Paul.
Furthermore, they allege that Paxton assisted Paul in an investigation into the law enforcement authorities who were involved in the FBI raid.
According to the whistleblowers, Paxton has frequently lied and provided misleading statements to the public regarding the investigation.
On Tuesday, Paxton reportedly issued another statement in which he maintained that he was innocent.
“After reviewing the claims made by former employees of this office, their allegations are overblown, based upon assumptions, and to a large degree misrepresent the facts,” said Paxton.
“Unfortunately, these attorneys chose to air their grievances through the media and through the courts, rather than established and objective internal processes. Given these circumstances, we will be fully prepared to address these allegations through the judicial system, if necessary.”
A detailed timeline of the criminal allegations against Paxton, including the details alleged in the whistleblower lawsuit, can be found here.
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Daniel Friend
Daniel Friend is the Marketing and Media Manager for The Texan. After graduating with a double-major in Political Science and Humanities, he wrote for The Texan as a reporter through June 2022. In his spare time, you're likely to find him working on The Testimony of Calvin Lewis, an Abolition of Man-inspired novel and theatrical podcast.
