AUSTIN, Texas — Private law firms have charged the state more than half a million dollars to defend Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against lawsuits that question his actions as a lawyer and a boss.
Paxton, a Republican up for reelection in November, is facing allegations that he retaliated against employees who accused him of bribery. A disciplinary committee of the state bar also filed a lawsuit seeking to sanction Paxton for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Instead of relying solely on staff attorneys to handle the cases, Paxton’s agency brought in three private firms that have already billed the state a combined total of $507,000 for their work, according to documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
