[A]s Paxton seeks to fend off legal troubles and win a third term as Texas’ top law enforcement official, his agency has come unmoored by disarray behind the scenes, with seasoned lawyers quitting over practices they say aim to slant legal work, reward loyalists and drum out dissent.
An Associated Press investigation found Paxton and his deputies have sought to turn cases to political advantage or push a broader political agenda, including staff screenings of a debunked film questioning the 2020 election. Adding to the unrest was the secretive firing of a Paxton supporter less than two months into his job as an agency advisor after he tried to make a point by displaying child pornography in a meeting.
Most alarmingly, the AP report notes that Paxton’s staff was recently forced to drop human trafficking and sexual assault cases because—no kidding—they misplaced one of the victims.
Eight people were indicted last year in a series of cases collectively referred to as “Operation Fallen Angel.” The indictments stemmed from allegations that the accused had forced teenage girls to “exchange sexual contact for crystal methamphetamine.” Six of the accused are now free because of the AG office’s errors, while one is being held on other charges and another died in jail.
“It’s absolutely broken. It’s just broken. You don’t do it this way,” Republican District Attorney Dusty Boyd, who handed the case over to Paxton’s office, told the AP. “I made the mistake of trusting them that they would come in and do a good job.”
