Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton: ‘I will carry out my duties’ in husband’s impeachment trial

Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton (R) said Monday she will “carry out” her duties as a member of the state Senate, ahead of her husband Ken Paxton’s looming impeachment trial in the chamber.

“I have twice been elected to represent the nearly one million Texans who reside in Senate District 8, and it is a tremendous honor and privilege to be their voice in the Texas Legislature,” she said in a statement on Twitter. “Each time I was elected, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of this great state.”

“Texas law compels each member of the Senate to attend when the Senate meets as a court of impeachment,” she added. “As a member of the Senate, I hold these obligations sacred and I will carry out my duties, not because it is easy, but because the Constitution demands it and because my constituents deserve it.”

Ken Paxton, the suspended Texas attorney general, was impeached by the Republican-led Texas House in a 121-23 vote late last month over 20 charges of misconduct in office, including bribery, obstruction of justice, false statements, dereliction of duty, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust.

The attorney general, who dismissed the impeachment vote as a “politically motivated sham,” is set to face a trial in the state Senate in late August, according to The Texas Tribune.