'Corrupt thug': Host lays out ways Republicans 'tolerated' Ken Paxton’s 'despicable' ways for years

Roland Martin Unfiltered host Roland Martin, during Saturday's episode of MSNBC's Velshi,explained to host Ali Velshi that suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton broke the law years prior to his impeachment by Texas state Republicans earlier this year over bribery and corruption.

As of Saturday, September 16, The Associated Press reports "The Texas Senate on Saturday ended deliberations over whether Attorney General Ken Paxton should be removed from office, putting the Republican’s historic impeachment trial on the brink of a verdict."

Velshi said, "This is a guy who's had the microscope on him for a long time. You have people like [United States Senator] Ted Cruz (R-TX), [ex-President Donald Trump White House chief strategist] Steve Bannon and Donald Trump, who are all on his side and say he shouldn't be impeached, and you have a lot of Republicans who say you don't impeach him right now this is going to be bad for everybody's political career. What is your take on what's going on?"

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Martin replied, "Ken Paxton is a corrupt thug. I need people to understand this man was indicted and 2015 for securities fraud. He has been fighting this for eight years. He was re-elected. This man was indicted, and was reelected by Republicans in Texas, twice. Now you talk about this here, and this thing is even more egregious. The reason Republicans are so angry; he came to them to try pay off a $3 million dollar whistleblower deal. Then, wouldn't tell them why he wanted to use taxpayer money to pay it off. Then we hear details about him in an affair. His wife is a state senator voting on this. This man has been shameful and despicable, and Republicans have stood by him. And then finally they said, 'Oh, enough is enough. You asked for the $3 million. We've got to sit here and impeach you.' And so, I don't give them credit for this, if they go through with it, because they have tolerated his thuggish behavior for all of these years."

Velshi then said, "So, let's be clear. It's not actually about his thuggish behavior. It's the idea that there was a settlement and Ken Paxton is so brazen that he asked the public purse — the treasury — he asked the settlement be paid for by the government. and And that was the bridge too far for some Republicans in Texas. Not all the other things he's done."

Martin replied, "Right, and then, here's the thing Ali. He wouldn't tell them why. It was like, 'Ok, whatever just pay it.' And so he was so brazen, he was so arrogant with it, and it's not shock that Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and Steve Bannon are standing by him, because they are shameful and despicable as well. This is the Texas Attorney General. He's been the one ruling on legal issues, ruling on voting rights and suppression, ruling on the issues dealing with migrants, dealing with all kind of different decisions. These are people who work for him who came against him, who said, 'I'm sorry, this is too much.' And again, all of these years, Republicans stood by him. So I'm finally glad to see that they stand up to him. But unfortunately, this is what happens when you have folks who have supreme power, when they control the Texas legislature — the House, the Senate, the governor's mansion — they have never been willing to hold him accountable, and finally they are doing so, but it has been long overdue in Texas."

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: 'Slow creep of corruption': Ken Paxton trial begins with sniping

Why Ken Paxton is a 'corrupt thug': Roland Martinyoutu.be

The Associated Press' full report is available at this link.