Despite the delayed start to Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings, senators picked up where they left off on the first day, hearing testimony from Jeff Mateer – the former first assistant attorney general and one of the eight high-ranking officials who reported Ken Paxton to federal authorities. Mateer returned to the witness...
Lead defense attorney Tony Buzbee cross examines the first witness, Jeff Mateer, former first assistant attorney general.Despite the delayed start to Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings, senators picked up where they left off on the first day, hearing testimony from Jeff Mateer – the former first assistant attorney general and one of the eight high-ranking officials who reported Ken Paxton to federal authorities.
Much of Mateer’s testimony and the line of questioning he faced from prosecutor Rusty Hardin and Buzbee centered around what he knew about the relationship between Paxton and Austin real estate investor Nate Paul. “The opinion took the complete opposite view. It was as if Anthony Fauci had written it,” Mateer said. “I mean, it was shut down – you can’t do outside foreclose sales – I remember coming back and talking to Mr. Bangert like, what was this?”
According to Mateer, it was a brief, “heated” conversation that ended with Paxton requesting he speak with Penley and convince him to sign off on Cammack’s contract. Mateer said he replied that he would back Penley. Mateer said Paxton called him a second time a couple of days later, around 9 p.m., again upset with Penley and David Maxwell, one of the other top officials who was law enforcement's attorney general’s office director – as Maxwell was siding with Penley.
“I’ve made it this far in life without advice from Mr. Buzbee. I’m going to try to make it the rest of my life,” Hardin said. “I’ll ask my questions, and if he objects, that’s fine.” Mateer responded to Buzbee and said he had “good faith belief” that Paxton was engaged in illicit activity. When asked by Buzbee what Mateer thought Paxton was involved in, he said he thought Paul might have blackmailed the attorney general.
The lead defense attorney did not end here, as he accused Mateer and the seven other officials of wanting to stage a “coup” as they met with members of Texans for Lawsuit Reform – a nonprofit group that monitors statewide litigation activity – and conspiring against Paxton with George P. Bush, the former Texas Land Commissioner and Paxton’s challenger for attorney general.
“I have doubts that this is a very good message to send. That kind of narrative may play well with the attorney general's six votes already in the Senate, but that’s quite a tale to spin – particularly the part that incorporates Governor Greg Abbott,” he said.
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