Ken Paxton’s Wife, Angela, Reacts to Acquittal With Subtle Nod

Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton kept a straight face as her husband, the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton, was acquitted on charges of corruption and bribery.

The Republican was absent for most of the trial and was not in the Senate for his acquittal on 16 articles of impeachment. He returns to office more than three months after the GOP-controlled House overwhelmingly voted to impeach him on 20 articles in May.

On Saturday, he was acquitted by state Senate Republicans who serve alongside his wife—the Senate did not take up four of the articles. The 12 Democratic senators voted to convict on almost every one of the 16 charges considered during the trial.

The impeachment charges centered on allegations that Paxton improperly used the powers of his office to protect political donor and real estate developer Nate Paul, who was indicted in June on federal charges of making false statements to banks.

In the two-week trial, former aides recounting how Paxton, who was endorsed by former president Donald Trump, allegedly pressured them to help Paul and how he helped a woman with whom he was allegedly having an extramarital affair land a job with Paul.

Ken Paxton denied wrongdoing, and decried the charges as politically motivated. His attorneys argued there was no evidence or not enough to rise beyond a reasonable doubt.

Angela Paxton was not allowed to vote in the trial, but she attended all two weeks of the proceedings, including when a woman was called to publicly testify about the alleged affair she had with Ken Paxton. The woman ultimately never took the witness stand.

The state senator remained stoical during the vote, according to video of the proceedings, and is seen subtly nodding as votes to acquit her husband on the final article of impeachment are read out. She hugged Tony Buzbee, her husband’s lead lawyer, after the trial.

She celebrated her husband’s acquittal in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that quoted a Bible verse.

“‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything,'” she wrote in the post.

Angela Paxton’s office has been contacted for further comment via email.

Ken Paxton thanked her in a statement that blasted his impeachment as the work of a “kangaroo court.”

“I want to thank my amazing wife Angela, who I love dearly,” he said. “She is a brave woman of deep faith, unquestionable integrity, and the light of our entire family.”

He also promoted an interview he said he would give to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in the coming days.

The acquittal is not the end of Paxton’s troubles, however. He is still facing trial on felony securities fraud charges brought in 2015, a state bar lawsuit over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and remains under a separate federal investigation after his own top deputies accused him of bribery and abusing his office to help Paul.