Thread by @PatrickSvitek

House gavels in and is immediately taking up Paxton impeachment #txlege

Rules of debate adopted, Phelan issues decorum warming to gallery, and articles are being read #txlege

Smithee asks questions, including whether members will vote on individual articles. Phelan says no, they’ll vote on all 20 articles at once. #txlege

GI member Geren opens by emphasizing Paxton’s request for state-funded whistleblower settlement is what started all of this #txlege

Geren makes sure to get this on the record before he finishes: Paxton has been calling members about the impeachment vote and “threatening them with political consequences in their next election.” #txlege

GI member Spiller (R): Paxton “deserves praise for his fierce, consistent efforts” to push back on the feds as AG.

“But members, no one person should be above the law, least not the top law enforcement official of the state of Texas.”

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https://twitter.com/james_barragan/status/1662539317690892289

Paxton doing rapid response >

https://twitter.com/txag/status/1662540517882707969

Questions have begun. First up is impeachment opponent Schaefer, who is pressing Murr on witness interviews. Murr emphasizes witnesses were interviewed by the team of lawyers/investigators the committee retained. #txlege

Next up is another impeachment opponent, Tinderholt, who presses Murr on the political backgrounds of the GI investigators and lawyers. Tinderholt says some have Dem primary voting history. Murr says he doesn't care how they voted, he cares about their "work product." #txlege

"We have seen the attorney general use his agency to lobby people" against this impeachment, Murr says, repeating Geren's claim that Paxton has been calling and trying to politically intimidate members #txlege

A bit of deadpan levity —

"I'll spare the body some of the statements Trump made because I don't want to engage in personalities," Tinderholt says #txlege

Tinderholt asks Murr if he's aware of the statement Trump made opposing Paxton's impeachment. Murr says he's not advised.

"I would only direct he and the members of the public to go watch the video" of the committee hearing earlier this week," Murr adds. #txlege

Smithee speaks in opposition to impeachment #txlege

“To me, this process is indefensible," Smithee says.

Among his reservations: the immediate suspension of Paxton upon House impeachmenet. "It's what I call the hang-'em-now-and-judge-'em-later policy," Smithee says. #txlege

Smithee accuses the GI committee of relying on "triple hearsay" — "hearsay within hearsay within hearsay" #txlege

Smithee: I know many of you want to "get rid of General Paxton for whatever reason in the worst possible way, and I’m here to tell you what we are doing is the worst possible way" #txlege

Smithee winds down his speech by saying he doesn’t want an impeachment to look like “a Saturday mob out for an afternoon lynching” #txlege

Tinderholt is second up to speak in opposition. He says the House has spent more time debating “tampon tax relief” than impeaching Paxton. It’s not “about guilt or innocence. It’s about the process.” #txlege

Harrison, who said yesterday he hadn’t decided yet how he would vote on Paxton impeachment, rises in opposition #txlege

Harrison is also critical of the impeachment process so far. "When the stakes are this high, perception matters, optics matter and process matters," he says. #txlege

"I'd like to ask somebody a question, I'm not sure who it is," says Dutton, who's been waiting at the back mic. Chamber erupts in laughter. #txlege