(FiveNation.com)- Former staffers who worked for Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have claimed in a statement that he had lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in an alleged ongoing corruption investigation.
Paxton is accused of accepting bribes and abusing his power in the state, though he has strongly denied all accusations. None of the accusations that have been made have resulted in any federal charges being filed against him, either.
Now, though, four former Paxton staffers have spoken out and accused Paxton of lying.
James Brickman, the former deputy attorneys general, along with David Maxwell, the former law enforcement director for Paxton’s officer, and two other staffers Ryan Vassar and Mark Penley said that while they would prefer to stay silent about the matter, they believe it’s important to speak out. They claim that over the last few weeks, Paxton had made “numerous false and misleading public statements” that they felt an obligation to correct.
In the statement, the former staffers say that they had confronted Paxton about his agency’s “corrupt and criminal conduct” and that they reported him to the FBI when he wouldn’t “abide by the law.”
The FBI has searched Paxton’s office so far, but Paxton claims to be innocent and says that the whistleblowers are the ones who have broken the law.
In their statement, the. Former staffers say that an attorney general should have respect for “truth and respect of the law” and that Paxton should testify under oath about his agency’s actions.
On Monday, Paxton released a statement claiming that the allegations were being “re-instigated” by the left-wing press and noted that his office had performance investigations that cleared him.
Paxton is now facing a Republican primary challenge.
