Old Story: A Texas Politician is Getting Impeached in a Sex Scandal. Plot Twist: His Wife Has to Sit Through it Because She's a Senator
It's a tale as old as the institution of government itself. A political figure rises through the ranks to gain power and influence. Then uses that power and influence to obtain the things men desire most: Money and sex. These are the main motivations for people to get into government in the first place. At the risk of sounding cynical, you'd have to have the mind of a child to believe them when they say it's all about public service, civics and passing laws to help those less fortunate. After all, just look at the average guy who's drawn to that life and the women that surround them and tell me they're attracting females any other way.
From the Ancient Greeks to Bill Clinton, from Anthony Weiner to Councilman Dexhart from Pawnee, IN:
Typically the way these play out is that in exchange for giving up the goods, the attractive young lady (they're always more attractive and younger, though not always a woman, obviously) invariably gets a cushy job. The first rule of governance is that nothing will get you nothing. And the smart ones make sure that she's not on his payroll, but on somebody else's in some other agency or a private company run by someone who relies on government contracts. Then when the guy in charge of that office needs to have his sidepiece stashed somewhere else or otherwise needs a favor, he knows where to go. And the beautiful thing is, it doesn't cost him a dime; it's all on the suckers who pay the taxes. That's how the doctrine of Checks and Balances functions in modern democracy.
So credit where it's due to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for figuring that out. Allegedly. But discredit to AG Paxton for getting caught, because he's facing impeachment in the Texas legislature for that very thing. And the kicker is, Mrs. Paxton is required by law to sit through the entire proceeding and all the testimony. Because she is State Senator Paxton.
And the Constitution of Texas says it can't go forward without her presence:
AP - How much does an extramarital affair matter to whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton keeps his job? An answer may arrive soon.
The question hangs over the Republican's impeachment trial that resumed Tuesday and is approaching the final stretch of testimony before a jury of state senators decides whether Paxton should be removed from office on charges of corruption and bribery. Most of the senators are Republicans and one is his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, although she will not have a vote in the verdict.
But she has attended the entire trial so far, including Monday, when she sat in the Senate chamber as one of her husband's former employees gave an account of the affair in the most public detail to date: How the relationship took a toll on staffers, how she urged Paxton to consider the risks and how she asked him to tell his wife about the woman.
Here are some of the details:
Source - Several sources have informed RA News that Laura Olson, the girlfriend of former San Antonio Councilman Clayton Perry, is well known in political circles as the woman who had an extramarital affair with state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The affair between Olson and Paxton has been an open secret for years. Still, it gained broader attention during an investigation into illegal quid pro quo and corruption allegations against Paxton, leading to his impeachment. …
Olson, a four-times-divorced mother of two, has been in an on-and-off relationship with Perry since 2019. She supported Perry after his arrest for the alleged hit-and-run in November. …
The exact timeline of Olson’s relationship with Paxton is unclear, but lawmakers stated that he was involved with his mistress in 2019. The affair became central to the investigation into illegal quid pro quo. Nate Paul, a political donor to Paxton, allegedly offered Olson a job at his real estate company in Austin in exchange for help from the attorney general. Paxton also facilitated Paul’s access to FBI documents after his properties were raided. Olson’s role at World Class Holdings, Paul’s real estate company, remains unclear. …
When asked if the revelations about Miss Olson were interesting – Rusty Hardin one of the main impeachment lawyers said in an email “Calling it interesting is like calling the Grand Canyon a ditch!”
Well said, Rusty Hardin. Though I doubt "ditch" is the word Sen. Paxton is using to describe Laura Olson as she sits there day after day listening to witnesses testify under oath about her husband's tomcatting around right under her nose. And is there anybody involved in this living a simple, easy life? Corruption. Hit-and-run accidents. The state's top law enforcement official feeding a guy his own FBI files? FOUR divorces, fercryingoutloud?
Here are a couple of photos of Olson, including her with the Governor of the state. Tell me she's not straight out of Central Casting, born to play the role of Social-Climbing Other Woman:
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I mean, that has got to be a bitter pill to swallow. It would be one thing if Angela Paxton would get a vote in the impeachment. They go around the Senate Chamber asking each member how they vote. She dramatically rises to her feet, points at him and yells, "I vote we convict this two-timing, double-dealing, dirtbag who I gave the best years of my life to! And whose bullshit I had to put up with the whole time he was sticking his tiny dick into this bleach-blonde tramp!!! I say we string him up by his little hamster testicles and leave him for the crows!!!" She won't even have that satisfaction.
No, instead what she gets is to sit there listening to the sordid details of her private and family life being spoken into the official government record. And preserved for all eternity. While everyone else in the room is trying not to give her constant sideeye every time someone describes another hookup where the man she loved buttered his toast on the other side. I for one think she ought to sneak in first thing in the morning, put a vaguely Angela Paxton-looking mannequin in her seat, slip quietly out a side door, go get roaring drunk somewhere, and have casual, carefree sex with some random. Just to restore some of her own dignity. Texas law be damned. There's not a person as the hearings who would hold it against her.
Just try not to let this whole situation destroy your faith in America's ruling class. I know I won't. Because I haven't had any since I reached adulthood.