September 17, 2024      7:41 AM

Chief of Staff to Cruz testified in Justice Department bribery investigation of Paxton

Sources also tell Bloomberg that federal prosecutors in Texas had drafted bribery and obstruction charges against state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) before the US Justice Department took over the case in early 2023

Bloomberg Law reporter Ryan Autullo has the scoop:

Federal prosecutors in Texas had drafted bribery and obstruction charges against state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) before the US Justice Department took over the case in early 2023, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

Now almost two years later, the probe into Paxton’s alleged bribery and misuse of office has continued, including in a recent deposition of Aaron Reitz, Paxton’s former deputy for legal strategy and now Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s chief of staff, another source said. Appearing before a grand jury on Aug. 6 in Austin, Reitz answered prosecutors’ questions about Paxton’s termination of whistleblower employees in 2020, a source said.

Reitz’s testimony shows that prosecutors are moving forward in interrogating Paxton aides after a federal appeals court ruled in June that they must testify because they aren’t entitled to attorney-client privilege.

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