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#trending | Justice Dept. in DC taking up Texas AG corruption probe – ABC News: US
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The Justice Division has taken over the corruption investigation into Texas Legal professional Common Ken Paxton, after he agreed to apologize and pay $3.3 million in taxpayer money. The Public Integrity Part will now lead the probe, which had been dealt with by the U.S. lawyer’s workplace in Texas. Paxton has denied any wrongdoing, however the FBI is investigating claims of bribery and abuse of workplace. The unit has introduced a number of high-profile prosecutions in the previous, however has additionally confronted notable setbacks.
DALLAS — Justice Division officers in Washington have taken over the corruption investigation into Texas Legal professional Common Ken Paxton, eradicating the case from the palms of the federal prosecutors in Texas who’d lengthy been main the probe, in keeping with state prosecutors.The transfer is the latest growth in the federal investigation into Paxton, who got here below FBI scrutiny in 2020 after his personal top deputies accused him of bribery and abusing his workplace to help certainly one of his marketing campaign contributors, who additionally employed a lady with whom the lawyer normal acknowledged having had an extramarital affair. The investigation of the three-time period Republican is now being led by the Justice Division’s Public Integrity Part, which prosecutes allegations of official misconduct in opposition to elected leaders on the native, state and federal degree. The U.S. lawyer’s workplace in Texas was just lately recused from the complicated case after engaged on it for years — an abrupt change that got here inside days of Paxton agreeing to apologize and pay $3.3 million in taxpayer money to 4 of the previous staffers who reported him to the FBI.State prosecutors dealing with a separate securities fraud case in opposition to Paxton — Brian Wice and Kent Schaffer — mentioned in a press release to The Related Press on Thursday that they have been notified of the transfer. They referred all inquiries to the Division of Justice, which declined to remark. It isn’t clear what prompted top Justice Division officers to recuse the federal prosecutors in West Texas however the transfer was pushed by Paxton’s attorneys. One in every of his protection attorneys, Dan Cogdell, mentioned Thursday he’d beforehand appealed to company officers to take the case out of the palms of the native U.S. lawyer’s workplace as a result of prosecutors there had “an apparent battle.” “It was the proper factor to do,” mentioned Cogdell. He mentioned federal officers had not knowledgeable him of the transfer and declined to remark additional. It is also unknown whether or not Paxton will face expenses, although investigators in Texas who had labored the case believed there was adequate proof for an indictment, in keeping with folks conversant in the matter who spoke on situation of anonymity to the AP to debate an ongoing probe.Eight of Paxton’s senior workers accused him of crimes in 2020 after the lawyer normal employed an out of doors lawyer to look into an Austin real-property developer’s claims of wrongdoing by FBI brokers and federal prosecutors who have been individually investigating the developer. These brokers and attorneys are a part of the identical federal prosecutorial district as those who got here to analyze Paxton. The overlap was recognized to officers throughout the Justice Division and publicly reported on by the AP inside weeks of Paxton’s workers going to the FBI. Nonetheless, the company left the investigation to be led by a profession federal prosecutor primarily based in San Antonio, who was beforehand greatest recognized for successful a money laundering and fraud case in opposition to a Democratic state senator. The federal investigation of Paxton expanded in the years since his former workers informed the FBI he was committing crimes to help the developer, Nate Paul. It got here to take a look at renovations made to Paxton’s million-greenback residence, however was additionally drawn out as management of the U.S. lawyer’s workplace for West Texas has repeatedly modified. Paxton and Paul have broadly denied wrongdoing.Over these years, Paxton has seen little political price from the the federal investigation and a separate 2015 securities fraud indictment for which he has but to face trial. He simply defeated challenger George P. Bush in a contested GOP major final spring, went on to decisively beat his Democratic opponent and secure a 3rd time period in November and has filed a gentle stream of authorized challenges to the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden. The Public Integrity Part has introduced a sequence of high-profile prosecutions in the final a long time. One in every of its former chiefs, Jack Smith, is now serving because the Justice Division particular counsel overseeing investigations of former President Donald Trump’s retention of categorized paperwork in addition to efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the outcomes of the 2020 election.Though the unit has secured main convictions, it has additionally endured notable setbacks. The part was concerned in prosecuting former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, however the case was later overturned by the Supreme Courtroom. The part additionally prosecuted former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards, however a jury acquitted him on one depend and deadlocked on others. The Justice Division declined to try him once more. A jury additionally deadlocked in the case of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, prompting a decide to declare a mistrial.___Tucker reported from Washington.
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Dave Petchy
