Donald Trump has slammed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his silence on the historic impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The state House of Representatives on Saturday impeached Paxton on 20 articles that included bribery and abuse of public trust.
The vote immediately suspended Paxton from office, pending an outcome of a trial in the Republican-controlled state Senate, and empowered Abbott to appoint a replacement to serve in the interim. It is not yet clear when a trial could take place.
Abbott, who was the state’s attorney general prior to Paxton’s taking the job in 2015, has remained silent about Paxton all week, including after Saturday’s impeachment.
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Abbott’s silence prompted Trump to write on his social media platform: “MISSING IN ACTION! Where is the Governor of Texas on his Attorney General’s Impeachment?”
In an earlier Truth Social post, the former president wrote that he would “fight” House Republicans if they proceeded with the impeachment.
He lashed out in particular at Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, who he called “barely a Republican at all.”
Trump, who is the current frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, also branded the impeachment proceedings “election interference.”
Paxton is an ally of Trump’s and asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 election results that went against Trump.
He called his impeachment “illegal, unethical and profoundly unjust.”
“The ugly spectacle in the Texas House today confirmed the outrageous impeachment plot against me was never meant to be fair or just,” Paxton said in a statement. “It was a politically motivated sham from the beginning.”
He added that he “looks forward to a quick resolution” in the state Senate, where his conservative allies include his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton.
Paxton, who was elected to a third term as Texas attorney general in November, has been under investigation by the FBI for years over allegations that he abused his office to help Nate Paul, a real estate investor who donated to his campaign. He was separately indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, for which he has yet to stand trial.
Other Republicans including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have also come to Paxton’s defense.
On Twitter, Cruz called the impeachment process “a travesty,” while Greene branded it a “witch hunt.”
Cruz said Paxton’s legal troubles should be left to the courts.
“Virtually all of the information in the articles was public BEFORE Election Day, and the voters chose to re-elect Ken Paxton by a large margin,” Cruz wrote. “In my view, the Texas Legislature should respect the choice of the Texas voters.”
Kari Lake, a Republican who lost last year’s race for Arizona governor and is a staunch Trump ally, also defended Paxton. “I stand with him against this unconstitutional uniparty impeachment effort,” she wrote in a recent tweet.
Newsweek has contacted Abbott’s office and a Trump spokesperson for comment via email.