NEW: We got hundreds of pgs of records not publicly released during the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
They reveal behind-the-scenes fights over who had to testify and produce docs. We've published the trove IN FULL here:
#txlege
Today, I talked to the mothers of Garrett Foster, the man shot and killed last night at the protest in Austin, and his fiancee Whitney Mitchell.
The couple met in North Texas when they were teens. Foster cared for Mitchell, a quadruple amputee, full-time.
FYI: Folks are sharing the image below and saying it's today's
@nytimes
front page.
It is not.
This is from an artist Sho Shibuya, who regularly creates their own versions of newspaper front pages.
You can see more from them here:
NEW: Impeachment of Texas AG Ken Paxton will begin tomorrow at 1pm, per memo to all members.
"We cannot over-emphasize the fact that, but for Paxton's own request for a taxpayer-funded settlement...Paxton would not be facing impeachment."
#txlege
ICYMI: Last year, the
@dallasnews
revealed TX police regularly hypnotize witnesses in criminal investigations, helping send dozens of men & women to prison β some to their deaths.
Yesterday, we learned state police ended their hypnosis program.
#txlege
Wow. Manager at San Antonio postal plant says they were directed to remove large piles of undelivered mail before
@JoaquinCastrotx
βs visit in an effort to deceive him and make it look like there were no operational issues.
βThey played him for a fool.β
ICYMI: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has bought at least six properties out-of-state, including land in Hawaii and Utah, three homes in Florida and a lodge in Oklahoma.
He has yet to disclose any of them on his state-mandated ethics reports.
#txlege
ICYMI: Two top Texas elected officials don't want to release years of texts and emails, including related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Yesterday, they lost an attempt in court to keep those communications secret. Read more here:
#txlege
This is just the fourth time that Texas lawmakers have broken quorum to stop debate on a bill.
2003 - redistricting
1979 - split elections
1870 - militia/martial law
#txlege
#SB7
Last month, Muhlaysia Booker's beating was caught on on video. This weekend, she was found dead.
"This time, I can stand before you, where in other scenarios, we're at a memorial," Booker said last month. "Our time to seek justice is now."
"If not now, when?"
#LGBT
#LGBTQ
#dfw
Just found out from witness testimony at the
#PaxtonTrial
that I am on a
@txag
media blacklist.
I have been reporting on the attorney general for a decade. My colleagues and I have broken many stories regardless of the blackout. Read 'em here:
#txlege
#Breaking
: Nate Paul, β the Austin real estate investor at the center of the impeachment against Texas AG Ken Paxton β is in Travis County jail on an FBI detainer.
#txlege
Yesterday marked a month since we broke the story that Texas AG Ken Paxton has left 6 properties off his state ethics disclosures.
Officials have 14 days to update these docs after finding or being informed of an error. That still hasn't happened.
#txlege
This story is wild.
An important bill to close a transparency loophole in Texas was passed by both chambers but was discovered βmissingβ when it was meant to be signed by the lite guv.
The authors wonβt or didnβt comment on what happened.
#txlege
Patricia Kirven, Mitchell's mother, said her daughter is "physically is OK, but mentally she is not. βInconsolableβ is the only word I can think of because sheβll talk for a bit and then break down.β
The couple had been together more than 10 years.
Exclusive:
@DaveLieber
reports that Dallas hospitals will soon be allowed to take vaccination status into account, along with other triage factors, to see who gets an ICU bed.
Sheila Foster, Garrett's mom, said he was pushing his fiancee's wheelchair across the interaction just before the shooting.
βI donβt know what kind of a funeral he would have wanted because I never thought I had to discuss that with my son,β she told me.
I reported that Texas AG Ken Paxton avoided a deposition last year by taking a multi-city European trip.
Not disclosed on his travel records? A stop in Kosovo with his state senator wife to promote a 5G company.
@by_jmiller
with the scoop:
#txlege
NEW: Two months ago, Texas Lt Gov
@DanPatrick
put out a big cash bounty for proof of voter fraud.
Now, one tipster said he can't figure out how to get the reward.
We've repeatedly asked Patrick why. His spokesman called our questions "stupid."
#txlege
A woman in Texas says she paid to get tubal ligation. Then, she got pregnant. The doctor, then a city councilman, says he never performed the procedure.
This medical negligence case is now before the Texas Supreme Court. Story by
@tosibamowo
.
#txlege
#Breaking
: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton used burner phones, fake Uber name to cover up corruption, affair, lawyers allege in detailed new impeachment motions.
#txlege
Exclusive: Newly uncovered documents show Texas officials ignored warnings that installing anti-migrant buoys and concertina wire along the border violated federal law and a U.S. treaty with Mexico.
Scoop by
@AaronTorres_
and
@toddgillman
:
#txlege
NEW: A DC nonprofit has been fighting in court since 2022 for access to years of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton's emails.
An appeals court decision today cleared the way for the group's lawsuit to continue.
#txlege
NEW: More conflicting information about the Uvalde shooting.
The lawyer for the Uvalde school teacher who propped open a back door to the school said she CLOSED the door when the shooter was approaching.
#txlege
#txed
WOAH. Democratic hopeful for governor
@BetoORourke
just confronted
@GovAbbott
in Uvalde, saying he hasn't done enough to prevent shootings.
He was shouted down and escorted out by officers.
#txlege
Donβt call it a comeback.ποΈ
Iβm excited to announce that Iβll soon join
@NPR
@KUT
as an investigative reporter and editor!
In this newly created role, Iβll continue my watchdog reporting on state govβt while helping public radio folks across Texas do enterprise work.
#txlege
A panel of Texas judges have ruled that power plants have no responsibility to provide electricity in emergencies.
The decision leaves the families of those who died in the winter freeze unsure where next to seek justice. Story by
@MoseBuchele
:
#txlege
#Breaking
: The Travis County District Attorney has determined Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has violated the state's open records laws by hiding his records, orders him to comply in four days or face lawsuit.
With
@John_Tedesco
@byjayroot
.
#txlege
Wow. In court hearing, CPS supervisor says her boss told her not to put *anything* about cases investigating gender-affirming care for trans kids in emails, texts, etc.
Being told not to put things in writing has never happened before and is "unethical," she says.
#txlege
Iβm in Houston to watch as AG Ken Paxton cuts a deal to have the fraud charges against him dropped.
Iβve been following this story since Paxton was indicted 9 yrs ago.
Top of mind: why would prosecutors cut a deal now, 2 weeks before trial?
#txlege
NEW: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn calls the corruption allegations against Texas AG Ken Paxton "deeply disturbing" and says the trial is "painful to watch."
He also rejected Paxton's defense that voters knew all of this before they re-elected him.
#txlege
#Breaking
: This AM, the state's top appeals court decided AG Ken Paxton's fraud trials should be held in Harris County.
The decision is a loss for Paxton, and could restart the his 8-yr-old felony cases as he prepares for his impeachment trial.
#txlege
VIDEO: Texas AG Ken Paxton owns at least a half dozen properties out of state worth $6M.
He has never disclosed them to the state.
Paxton didnβt answer our questions about them for months. That changed last week, when we caught him in person.
#txlege
Federal aid to Texas could have fed 3.7M children here this summer.
But the state turned the cash down, saying the timing, "current resource restraints" on agencies and the effort to implement the program made it impossible.
Story by
@beckyfogel
#txlege
MORE breaking revelations tonight:
The attorney general's defense attorney tells me he believes the FBI charges against Nate Paul involve Paxton. He thinks the FBI is trying to get Paul to flip on Paxton.
#txlege
After we reported that Texas AG Ken Paxton had not disclosed to the state that he purchased a luxury lodge in Oklahoma β and was renting it out β the listing was pulled down.
Looks like it's back on another site.
Story:
#txlege
UPDATED: TX AG Ken Paxton misused office to help campaign donor, House ethics investigators say.
The findings lend new clout to the allegations against Paxton, who faces investigations and suits for bribery, abuse of office and securities fraud.
#txlege
Foster was white and Mitchell is black. His mother said the couple attended the protests against police violence regularly in recent weeks.
Foster brought a firearm with him last night. It's legal in Texas to carry a long arm like a rifle in public.
Today is my last day
@dallasnews
.
After 7 years working alongside and learning from the best, Iβm ready for a new adventure. Looking forward to sharing more soon, but for now, I can say I'm staying in journalism and in Texas!
Keep the tips coming. DMs are open. ποΈπ€ π
#txlege
Exclusive: In a recent court document, Texas AG Ken Paxtonβs lawyers named the woman with whom he was alleged to have had an affair.
The woman appears to have worked for a Republican state senator who will sit on his impeachment jury next month.
#txlege
Sending all the love to the
@TexasTribune
staff today amid the announcement of these layoffs. I hate to see such talented journalists and editors lose their jobs.
Hire them! Names hereπ via
@austinchronicle
#txlege
Thereβs going to be a drag performance inside the Texas Capitol (outdoor rotunda in the extension) in a few minutes.
A DJ is bumping club favorites as the crowd here grows.
This week, the Texas Senate passed a bill to restrict, and at times criminalize, certain drag.
#txlege
What I learned covering Sutherland Springs was we don't need every media outlet to respond to tragedies like these.
It's OK to grab wire instead of sending a team, to leave the stories to local reporters.
It's OK to forgo calling grieving families and thus forgo the "scoop."
Uvalde is much bigger than Sutherland Springs. But this essay by
@lmcgaughy
sprung to mind while reading the first reporting on the elementary school shooting. Folks there are already going through hell.
More than 100 transgender Texans and their allies are at the Capitol today to advocate for bills that would strength
#LGBTQ
rights.
Here are some scenes from their gathering in the Capitol rotunda.
#txlege
Scenes from outside the jail in Austin, Texas tonight. A couple hundred people have gathered to call for the release of those arrested
@UTAustin
today.
Chants of βAPD let them out!β
Inside people help fill out bond paperwork for those arrested.
#txlege
#ATX
The Satanic Temple filed a letter with the FDA arguing that its Texas members should have access to abortion.
The group cited the stateβs RFRA, saying as a religious organization, it should be allowed the access as a faith-based right.Β
#txlege
#Breaking
: In an historic move that portends the ouster of one of the most powerful Republicans in the state, House lawmakers on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
#txlege
Wow.
After a producer had a hunch about several state senate seats in Florida, this local tv station found shell candidates funded by a PAC whose donations track back to a PO Box in Atlanta.
When reached, the candidates lied about their identities.
π¨This month we published a story revealing that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hasn't disclosed several properties worth millions to state ethics regulators.
It's been three weeks and Paxton hasn't fixed this. Read the story (no paywall) here:
#txlege
An El Paso family returning from a visit to Ciudad Juarez says they were forced off the road by Texas Department of Public Safety agents who rushed out of their unmarked vehicles and pointed semiautomatic rifles at them.
Story by
@AngelaKBorder
#txlege
SCOOP: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick offered a $1M bounty for proof of voter fraud last year, blaming Dems in cities like Atlanta and Philly for election concerns.
Patrick just cut his first $25K reward check. It went to an unexpected recipient.
#txlege
Drag has deep roots in the Lone Star State.
Female impersonators got top billing at the State Fair of Texas a century ago, I found in the
@dallasnews
archives.
Drag's popularity leaped during Prohibition when folks went to underground clubs.
#txlege
This
@TexasDFPS
supervisor has resigned because of the state's decision to investigate gender-affirming care.
"I have always felt like at the end of the day the department has the children best interests at heartβ¦.and I no longer feel this well with this order."
#txlege
#Breaking
: Appeals court reinstates injunction in Texas CPS case. State will be barred from investigating parents solely for providing gender affirming care to their transgender kids.
State will likely appeal to TX Supreme Court. Background:
#txlege
It's also legal to carry a handgun in one's own car, if you're the one driving. It's not legal to display a gun or any other weapon "in a manner calculated to alarm."
There are no restrictions in Texas on carrying at protests.
Itβs been 10 weeks since we reported that Texas AG Ken Paxton has millions in out-of-state properties he hasnβt reported to the state.
He still hasnβt updated his disclosure forms or asked state ethics monitors to give him a pass.
#txlege
"A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said surveillance video and audio verifies the employee removed the rock holding the door open and closed it.
...Investigators are trying to determine if the door was unlocked earlier or if its lock was not working."
Exclusive: In a response to recent news from Texas, the White House says it's "dangerous" to define gender-affirming care for transgender youth as child abuse.
#txlege
#LGBT
#LGBTQ
#LGBTQIA
#trans
NEW: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtonβs agency tried to get him paid for the month of June despite the fact that he and his salary are suspended pending his impeachment trial.
Story from
@PhilJankowski
:
#txlege
This month marks 6 years since Texas AG Ken Paxton was indicted for securities fraud. After repeated delays, he still has not faced trial.
Little has changed in this case since I wrote this story marking 5 years last July. Paxton is out on bond.
#txlege
Texas AG Ken Paxton asked for a list of everyone who changed their sex on state documents in the past two years, according to the
@washingtonpost
.
Paxton's office hasn't said why it requested the records and when asked for docs, said none existed.
#txlege
Hello from Houston! ππ»
Iβm here for the latest hearing in the securities fraud case into Texas AG Ken Paxton. Paxtonβs lawyer just arrived and said he DOES expect the attorney general to be here.
Paxton wants the charges against him tossed. His trial is set for April.
#txlege
2/ The Department of Public Safety would not say its officers ended their hypnosis program due to our investigation, which showed hypnotizing witness can create false memories and lead to wrongful convictions.
No, they said theyβd simply moved on to better investigative tools.
The Texas House will vote on AG Ken Paxtonβs impeachment today.
There are 64 Democrats in the House. If they all vote YES (and all members show up), 11 Republicans would need to join them for him to be impeached.
The no-shows will be telling.
#txlege
NEW: Texas AG Ken Paxton left the state during the deadly power outages last week to meet with his counterpart in Utah.
Paxton's spox did not answer Qs about when he left or returned and why the trip was not postponed. Story with
@MorrisReports
.
#txlege
Update: One of the families suing Texas says their trans son tried to kill himself the day the state announced it'd investigate gender-affirming care as child abuse.
The family says the psychiatric hospital that later treated him reported them to CPS.
π¨ Personal news time!
For the rest of 2022, I will shift into a new role at the
@dallasnews
as an investigative reporter focused on gender, sexuality and politics.
I will approach the beat with an eye toward fairness, truth and empathy. Please send me story ideas and tips!
AG Ken Paxton's agency recently produced a report (prepped by a private law firm) laying out counterarguments to his impeachment.
It was footnoted with supporting docs. I asked for the docs.
Today the agency says it won't release them & appealed my request β to itself.
#txlege
NEW: TX AG Ken Paxtonβs ties to a company that secured a lucrative state contract are being investigated for evidence of corruption.
The firmβs CEO denies wrongdoing, but issue shows the impeachment probe is widening as Paxtonβs trial looms.
#txlege
#Breaking
: We got invoices today that show a private law firm has charged the state $697K to fight Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtonβs whistleblower case since 2020.
With additional costs added, the total bills now top $700K.
#txlege
Lawmakers yelling at power companies to tell them who is responsible for turning *their* power off when they wrote the laws that set up the system we have.
Just sayin'.
#txlege
4/ Even with state police ending their hypnosis program, local cops can still use the dubious tool. In fact, Texas remains the only state with an active, state-sanctioned hypnosis training program for law enforcement.
Also, hypnosis evidence is still admissible in court.