Ken Paxton to pay $3.3m to ex-staffers who accused Texas AG of corruption

The attorney general for the state of Texas, Ken Paxton, has agreed to apologize and pay $3.3m in taxpayer money to four former staffers who accused him of corruption in 2020, igniting an ongoing FBI investigation of the three-term Republican.

Under terms of a preliminary lawsuit settlement filed on Friday, Paxton made no admission of wrongdoing to accusations of bribery and abuse of office, which he has denied for years and called politically motivated.

Both sides signed a mediated agreement that was filed in the Texas supreme court and will be followed by a longer, formalized settlement.

Paxton and Paul have broadly denied wrongdoing and neither has been charged with a federal crime.

The investigation, accusations and a separate 2015 securities fraud indictment for which Paxton has yet to face trial have done little to hurt him politically. He easily defeated challenger George P Bush in a contested GOP primary last spring, went on to decisively beat his Democratic opponent and secure a third term in November and has filed a steady stream of legal challenges against the Joe Biden White House.