Brent Webster
Brent Webster was the Acting Attorney General of Texas. Webster assumed office under Texas Government Code Chapter 402 on May 27, 2023, after Ken Paxton was suspended.[1][2]To read more about Paxton's impeachment, click here.
Webster ran for Place 5 on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in the 2016 elections. Place 5 was held by Judge Cheryl Johnson (R), who announced that she would not seek re-election.[3]
Biography
According to his campaign website, Webster served in a variety of roles in the District Attorney's office of Williamson County, Texas, including as an assistant district attorney, a family justice prosecutor, and as general counsel.[4]
Education
- B.A., Southwestern University
- J.D., University of Houston[4]
Elections
2016
Webster ran for a seat on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2016.[3] Since he did not receive more than 50 percent of the vote in the March 1 primary, he faced Scott Walker (R) in the May 24 runoff. Walker won and faced Democrat Betsy Johnson in the November 8 general election.
May 24 primary runoff
| Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Republican Runoff, Place 5, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Scott Walker (Texas) |
58.02% | 206,922 | |
| Republican | Brent Webster | 41.98% | 149,714 | |
| Total Votes (100% Reporting) | 356,636 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
March 1 primary
| Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Scott Walker |
41.48% | 833,757 | |
| Republican | Brent Webster |
20.45% | 411,119 | |
| Republican | Steve Smith | 19.60% | 393,992 | |
| Republican | Sid Harle | 18.47% | 371,303 | |
| Total Votes (100% Reporting) | 2,010,171 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
Noteworthy events
Texas House votes to impeach Paxton (2023)
The Texas House of Representatives voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton on May 27, 2023.[5] The Texas Tribune's Zach Despart and James Barragán wrote that "Many of the articles of impeachment focused on allegations that Paxton had repeatedly abused his powers of office to help a political donor and friend, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul."[6]
The Texas House of Representatives General Investigating Committee unanimously recommended Paxton's impeachment on May 25, 2023, after beginning an investigation in March 2023.[7][8] The Texas Tribune reported that four investigators for the House committee said during a public forum that they believed Paxton "broke numerous state laws, misspent office funds and misused his power to benefit a friend and political donor."[9]
According to the Texas Constitution, Paxton was suspended from office during the impeachment process.[10] Following the House vote that impeached him, Paxton said, "The ugly spectacle in the Texas House today confirmed the outrageous impeachment plot against me was never meant to be fair or just. It was a politically motivated sham from the beginning. … What we witnessed today is not just about me. It is about the corrupt establishment's eagerness to overpower the millions of Texas voters who already made their voices heard when they overwhelmingly re-elected me."[11] A senior lawyer in Paxton's office, Chris Hilton, stated that what the investigators said was "false," "misleading," and "full of errors big and small."[9]
On September 16, 2023, the Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on 16 articles of impeachment, and he resumed serving as attorney general on September 18, 2023.[12][13] After the vote, Paxton issued a statement: "The sham impeachment coordinated by the Biden Administration with liberal House Speaker Dade Phelan and his kangaroo court has cost taxpayers millions of dollars, disrupted the work of the Office of Attorney General and left a dark and permanent stain on the Texas House. The weaponization of the impeachment process to settle political differences is not only wrong, it is immoral and corrupt."[14] The Senate also voted to dismiss the four other articles of impeachment that had been held in abeyance at the start of the trial.[15]
See also
| Texas | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Twitter, "Hayden Sparks," accessed May 30, 2023
- ↑ Texas.gov, "Government Code," accessed May 31, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed December 19, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 websterforjudge.com, "Brent Webster: Conservative for Judge," accessed December 19, 2015
- ↑ Twitter, "Patrick Svitek on May 27, 2023," accessed May 27, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune "Texas AG Ken Paxton impeached, suspended from duties; will face Senate trial," May 27, 2023
- ↑ Politico, "Texas lawmakers recommend impeaching AG Paxton after Republican investigation," May 25, 2023
- ↑ Texas house of Representatives, "Memorandum for Members of the House of Representatives Re: Impeachment Process," May 26, 2023
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Texas Tribune, "Investigators detail years of alleged misconduct by Texas AG Ken Paxton in stunning House committee hearing," May 24, 2023
- ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, "The Texas Constitution," accessed May 31, 2023
- ↑ Twitter, "@KenPaxtonTX," May 27, 2023
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Paxton trial updates: Prosecutors failed to convince 21 senators on any of the accusations," accessed September 16, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "An emboldened Ken Paxton returns to a battered attorney general’s office," accessed September 18, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton acquitted on all 16 articles of impeachment," accessed September 16, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Ken Paxton was acquitted. See how each Senator voted." September 16, 2023
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