Anthony Holm, Paxton’s spokesman, and defense attorney Joe Kendall didn’t immediately return calls or e-mails seeking reaction to the indictment.
Politically Motivated
Holm has blasted the investigation as politically motivated and claims the attorney general hasn’t committed any crimes.
An estate-planning lawyer, Paxton served in the Texas Legislature before running for attorney general. As a lawmaker, he co-sponsored laws restricting access to abortion and requiring stringent voter identification, measures he’s defended in court as the state’s top lawyer.
He drew national attention in June when he exhorted Texas county clerks to follow their religious convictions and refuse to issue licenses to same-sex couples after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.
Paxton has also criticized the Affordable Care Act and new air and water pollution rules proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
He is the second senior Texas official to be indicted while in office over the past year. Former Governor Rick Perry, now a Republican presidential candidate, was indicted last August on two counts of abusing his power in office. An appeals court threw out one of the counts in July.