Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) chose John Scott (R), a former Deputy Attorney General (AG), to Head the AG Office, while AG Ken Paxton (R) faces Impeachment Charges, and faces Trial in the State Senate.
Scott served as Abbott’s Top Deputy for Civil Litigation when the Governor served as AG, before becoming Governor in 2015. Scott also served on an interim basis as Texas Secretary-of-state, the Chief Elections Officer appointed by the Governor, for just over a year before stepping down in December 2022.
“His decade of experience and expertise in litigation will help guide him while serving as the state’s top law enforcement officer,” Abbott said.
Scott, who has more than Three Decades of Legal experience, also served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the State’s Health and Human Services Commission.
Scott briefly represented Trump in an unsuccessful Lawsuit against the Certification of Pennsylvania’s Vote after other Attorneys quit. Scott himself stepped away from the Litigation Three days later, saying in a Court filing “that Plaintiffs will be best served” by his Withdrawal.
As Scott steps into the AG’s position, Six Top Staff Members have taken a Leave-of-Absence to help defend Paxton, in the upcoming Impeachment Trial.
The Employees include: the Office’s Top Appellate Lawyer, Solicitor General Judd Stone, who served as a Clerk to the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and was later Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas (R), and the Litigation Chief Chris Hilton, who denounced Lawmakers’ moves toward Impeachment.
As Secretary-of-State, Scott had a “close working relationship” with Paxton and the AG’s Office, as a Defendant in Litigation against the State’s Voting Laws, said Sam Taylor, who served as Assistant Secretary-of-State for communications under Scott. “That was true regardless of who the secretary was, including John Scott,” Taylor said.
The Texas Senate, which will decide whether to convict Paxton and Remove him from Office, adopted a Resolution this week that calls for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), the Senate’s Presiding Officer, to choose a date “no later than” Aug. 28th to convene the Court-of-Impeachment.
A Seven-Member Senate Committee will prepare recommended Rules-of-Procedure for the Trial, to be submitted to the Senate on June 20th.
The House, serving as the Equivalent of a Grand Jury, has named 12 Impeachment Managers to Prosecute the Case, including the Five Members of the House General Investigating Committee that conducted the once, Secret Investigation that led to the Impeachment.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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