November 30, 2015      7:54 PM
Updated: Proposal to allow out-of-state money for Paxton legal defense is panned and delayed
“It would open a Pandora's box that invites corruption from a source already under indictment for alleged securities fraud. This serves nobody but Ken Paxton.”
The
Texas
Ethics Commission on Monday voted to create a subcommittee to further
study the issue of whether Attorney General Ken Paxton can accept money with no Texas ties to fund his legal
defense.
Unlike
former Gov. Rick Perry, Paxton is
barred from using campaign funds for his attorneys because the allegations
against him of violating state securities laws are not related to his official
duties in office. State law also prohibits the AG from accepting benefits from
those who could be regulated by the attorney general.
A
draft opinion, as first
reported by David Rauf in the Houston
Chronicle, circulated ahead of Monday’s TEC meeting laid out steps for
an employee of the AG’s office to take to avoid gift-giving laws while
accepting a benefit from a donor.
By Scott Braddock
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