My jaw dropped. My mouth is gaping. I cannot believe what I have just read.
Prosecutors seeking to convict Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is set to stand trial for an alleged securities fraud matter, have asked for a change of venue because they say they cannot get a fair trial in Collin County, a suburban region just north of Dallas.
Why the jaw-drop?
Well, Paxton represented Collin County in the Texas Legislature before he was elected AG in 2014. That’s what made his indictment by a Collin County grand jury all the more remarkable, the way I saw it. This wasn’t a group of liberal activists seeking revenge against a conservative statewide politician. The grand jury was a panel of Paxton’s peers.
Prosecutors need not seek a change of venue, given that a Collin County grand jury brought the charges against Paxton in the first place.
The grand jury indicted Paxton on allegations that he misled investors in a company; the alleged crime occurred before he became attorney general.
I don’t know about you, but I find this allegation of bias against them to beĀ soaked in irony.
As the Texas Tribune reported: “Ken Paxton, like all Texans, has the right to be tried in the County he was charged in,” Paxton lawyer Dan Cogdell said in a statement. “The Special Prosecutors have filed a 60-page pleading trying to thwart that right. That these prosecutors are somehow painting themselves as ‘victims’ of some nonexistent conspiracy is extremely telling.”
I believe the trial court will be able to seat a jury that can determine this case fairly and without bias. Just look at what the grand jury did to bring this case to trial.
The caseĀ is set to go to trial on May 1. Let it take place in Collin County.