Republican Texas AG uses scare tactics on minorities: Critics
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been charging a record number of people for committing voter fraud violations, prompting critics to accuse the Republican official of using scare tactics to sideline pro-Democratic minorities.
As a decisive midterm congressional election approaches, media reported on Sunday that Paxton has been charging a record number of people over voting violations.
In a dozen-year span from 2005 to 2017, there were 97 cases of election fraud prosecutions in Texas, while in 2018, alone, Paxton's office prosecuted 33 defendants for a total of 97 election fraud violations.
Critics say Paxton, who himself is in several cases accused of corruption and bribery charges, wants to intimidate minority voters, who generally favor Democrats, from casting ballots in upcoming elections scheduled for November 6.
"I think it's all politically motivated," said Greg Westfall, a Texas lawyer currently representing a Hispanic woman who was charged this month with voter fraud.
Critics believe that in Texas -- as well as other states were the Republican camp is dominant -- officials use scare tactics to dissuade opponents from casting ballots.
"If you look at the timing, that's what's breathtaking," Westfall noted.
Meanwhile, Democratic-leaning states are implementing measures -- such as automatic voter registration -- to make it easier for voters to cast ballots.
Milking friends, fellow lawmakers
Paxton is charged with two counts of first-degree securities fraud and one count of third-degree failure to register with the states securities board when he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives in 2011.
He is accused of earning an illegal commission by directing friends and fellow lawmakers to invest money with a financial adviser working for a technology startup company called Servergy which specialized in data storage.
His attorneys argue that Paxton was under no legal obligation to inform and register the commission deal to the government.
His trial over the deal in 2011 has been repeatedly postponed.
If convicted, Paxton could be handed a maximum 99-year prison sentence.
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