Texas Secretary of Justice Ken Paxton has spent years dodging legal and public relations blows that could have knocked others out of politics.
However, the Republican has proven to be very cunning to his political opponents and accusers, winning re-election and achieving national prominence as a conservative Croatian, even on suspicion of serious crimes.
However, the criminal charges of Paxton’s top aides have led him to face a formidable new opponent: A federal prosecutor with a team of experienced FBI agents and a long history of sending him to prison. to corrupt civil servants.
Paxton has not been charged with any crime in the months since eight senior officials in his office reported him to the FBI for bribery, abuse of power and other crimes allegedly committed to help a wealthy donor trying to evade his own federal investigation.
Federal investigators are investigating the actions of the Secretary of Justice and his relationship with Nate Paul, an Austin real estate entrepreneur who employed a woman with whom Paxton is said to have had an extramarital affair.
The investigation would be led by U.S. Undersecretary of Justice Joe Blackwell, the office is in St. Anthony, according to a person familiar with the investigation and who insisted on remaining anonymous because the investigation is ongoing.
Paxton has denied having committed any crime. His recent failed bid to try to overturn the presidential election has raised doubts about whether he was actually seeking the protection of a powerful ally: President Donald Trump.
The U.S. Department of Justice office for West Texas declined to comment and allow Blackwell to give an interview. Federal prosecutors and the FBI generally do not confirm ongoing investigations.
Blackwell, who coordinates public integrity cases in a region that stretches more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) to the Pass, is a tough but fair prosecutor, according to former lawmakers and opposition lawyers alike.
They also say he has a special ability to summarize the complex facts of white-collar investigations, realistic behavior, and a light Louisiana accent that makes him win the sympathy of jurors.
“He’s probably the best litigation lawyer I’ve ever seen,” said Sean O’Connell, a Virginia attorney who worked with Blackwell as a federal prosecutor in Texas.
The most notable case of Blackwell, 45, was the trial of former state senator Carlos Uresti in 2018, in which the former lawmaker was prosecuted on charges of money laundering and fraud.