Joe Biden is the President-Elect and will be sworn in January 20. However, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to force the Supreme Court to overthrow the votes of millions of Americans by suing four states in a last-minute attempt to anoint a new presidential winner.
In the lawsuit, Paxton alleges that Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin violated the Constitution and held compromised elections (though he presents no evidence for that claim). “By ignoring both state and federal law, these states have not only tainted the integrity of their own citizens’ vote, but of Texas and every other state that held lawful elections,” wrote Paxton.
President Trump, who lost the November election, has retweeted several accounts praising Paxton’s actions. Chairman of the Texas GOP Allen West also released a statement supporting the lawsuit.
Legal scholars have expressed extreme skepticism about the lawsuit, and most expect it to be tossed quickly. Marc Elias, the Chair of Perkins Coie’s Political Law Group and an attorney for the Biden campaign, posted on Twitter that he was not worried about the case.
Lawmakers in the four states targeted by Paxton are speaking out forcefully. According to MSNBC, Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs called the allegations in the lawsuit “false and irresponsible.” She went even further, by noting “They don’t bring forward a single person who this happened to. That’s because it didn’t happen.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statement about the lawsuit that specifically targeted Paxton. “The erosion of confidence in our democratic system isn’t attributable to the good people of Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia or Pennsylvania, but rather to partisan officials like Mr. Paxton, who place loyalty to a person over loyalty to country.”
There is some speculation that Paxton’s lawsuit is an attempt to win a pardon from outgoing President Trump. He is also currently under investigation by the FBI for alleged abuse of office and bribery.
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa issued the following statement in a press release regarding Paxton’s lawsuit: “Not even Trump’s U.S. Attorney General William Barr is willing to entertain Trump’s blatant lies and attempts to corrupt our country’s 2020 election results or our electoral college process. Yet, in an effort to make news and potentially gain favor with Trump — who is dishing out presidential pardons to allies — indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is willing to carry Trump’s legal water.”
Five years ago, Paxton was indicted by a state grand jury on felony securities fraud, which cannot be pardoned by a president.
Photo: Office of the Texas Attorney General
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
