Fact Check: Ken Paxton's adultery was a focal point of his impeachment trial.

Fact Check: Ken Paxton's adultery was a focal point of his impeachment trial.

Published July 11, 2025
VERDICT
True

# Fact Check: Ken Paxton's Adultery Was a Focal Point of His Impeachment Trial ## What We Know Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, faced a two-we...

Fact Check: Ken Paxton's Adultery Was a Focal Point of His Impeachment Trial

What We Know

Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, faced a two-week impeachment trial in September 2023, during which allegations of his extramarital affair were a significant focus. The trial included testimony about how this affair allegedly affected the morale of his staff and the operations of his office (source-2). One of the key witnesses, Katherine Cary, a former chief of staff in Paxton's office, testified about the affair's impact on staff dynamics and urged Paxton to disclose the affair to his wife (source-4).

The impeachment articles included accusations that Paxton used his office to benefit a real estate investor who helped him conceal the affair (source-1). This connection between his alleged misconduct and personal life was a central theme throughout the proceedings, indicating that the affair was not merely a personal issue but intertwined with his professional responsibilities.

Analysis

The evidence presented during the impeachment trial clearly indicates that Paxton's extramarital affair was a focal point. Multiple sources confirm that the affair was discussed in detail, with testimony highlighting its implications for his professional conduct (source-3). The seriousness of the allegations was underscored by the fact that they were included in the articles of impeachment, which accused him of corruption and abuse of office.

Moreover, the context of the trial, including the presence of his wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, who was unable to vote due to a conflict of interest, further emphasizes the personal stakes involved (source-2). The implications of the affair on his political career were also noted, particularly as he prepares for a primary challenge against Senator John Cornyn in 2026 (source-5).

The sources used in this analysis are credible, including major news outlets like The New York Times and the Associated Press, which have established reputations for thorough reporting. However, it is essential to recognize that the framing of the affair may vary across different media, with some emphasizing the scandalous aspects more than others.

Conclusion

The claim that Ken Paxton's adultery was a focal point of his impeachment trial is True. The evidence from multiple credible sources demonstrates that the affair was not only discussed extensively during the trial but was also integral to the charges against him. The intertwining of his personal misconduct with his official duties highlights the significance of the affair in the context of the impeachment proceedings.

Sources

  1. Angela Paxton Files for Divorce From Ken Paxton, Texas' ...
  2. How an extramarital affair factors into Texas Attorney ...
  3. Ken Paxton's affair will be focus of impeachment trial
  4. Ken Paxton's affair impacted staff morale, former staffer ...
  5. Who is Ken Paxton? Why has his divorce rocked Texas politics ...
  6. Biblical betrayal? Ken Paxton's wife drops divorce ...
  7. Texas AG Ken Paxton's wife, state Sen. Angela, files for ...
  8. Extramarital affair details surface in historic impeachment ...

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Joe Biden's former doctor
refused to answer a single
question about the
ex-president's poor health.
Wow. He seems like the perfect
doctor to treat my secret
warts. True. When asked about
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🔍
Partially True

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Miller isn’t concerned about the state of New York “society.” What bothers him is the idea of nonwhite people having political power. Bessent isn’t really deeply worried about Zamdani’s economic ideas. But he feels free, maybe even obliged, to slander a foreign-born Muslim with language he would never use about a white Christian politician, even if that politician were (like some of his colleagues in the Trump administration) a total crackpot. And while Tuberville stands out even within his caucus as an ignorant fool, his willingness to use dehumanizing language about millions of people shows that raw racism is rapidly becoming mainstream in American politics. Remember, during the campaign both Trump and JD Vance amplified the slanders about Haitians eating pets. And now that they’re in office, you can see the resurgence of raw racism all across Trump administration policies, large and small. You can see it, for example, in the cuts at the National Institutes of Health, which are so tilted against racial minorities that a federal judge — one appointed by Ronald Reagan! — declared I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this. You can see it in the renaming of military bases after Confederate generals — that is, traitors who fought for slavery. You can even see it in a change in the military’s shaving policy that is clearly custom-designed to drive Black men — who account for around a quarter of the Army’s new recruits — out of the service. So racism and bigotry are back, big time. Who’s safe? Nobody. Are you a legal immigrant? Well, the Supreme Court just allowed Trump to summarily strip half a million U.S. residents of that status, and only a fool would imagine that this is the end of the story. 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MUSICAL CODA Discussion about this post Michael Roseman Jun 30 Edited For a while, American bigotry was ashamed of itself. Or pretended to be. Now it runs the government. Reply Share 106 replies Megan Rothery Jun 30 Edited Take a stand - Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️‍🩹🤍💙 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk Reply Share 31 replies 852 more comments... No posts Ready for more? © 2025 Paul Krugman Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice Start writing Get the app Substack is the home for great culture

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Paul Krugman Paul Krugman We’re All Rats Now Time to take a stand, again, against racism Paul Krugman Jun 30, 2025 Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in New York’s Democratic primary has created panic in MAGAland. Stephen Miller, the architect of Donald Trump’s deportation policies, waxed apocalyptic: Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, declared that New York is about to turn into “Caracas on the Hudson.” And Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama basically declared New York’s voters subhuman, saying: These inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that’s one reason we’re $37 trillion in debt. And it’s time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers that are working very hard every week to pay taxes. These reactions are vile, and they’re also dishonest. Whatever these men may claim, it’s all about bigotry. Miller isn’t concerned about the state of New York “society.” What bothers him is the idea of nonwhite people having political power. Bessent isn’t really deeply worried about Zamdani’s economic ideas. But he feels free, maybe even obliged, to slander a foreign-born Muslim with language he would never use about a white Christian politician, even if that politician were (like some of his colleagues in the Trump administration) a total crackpot. And while Tuberville stands out even within his caucus as an ignorant fool, his willingness to use dehumanizing language about millions of people shows that raw racism is rapidly becoming mainstream in American politics. Remember, during the campaign both Trump and JD Vance amplified the slanders about Haitians eating pets. And now that they’re in office, you can see the resurgence of raw racism all across Trump administration policies, large and small. 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Fact Check: Ken Paxton's adultery was a focal point of his impeachment trial. | TruthOrFake Blog