Bret Baier says ‘it’s a long list’ as he presents Ken Paxton’s series of legal troubles direct to him live on Fox News
Bret Baier put Ken Paxton on the spot on Thursday, September 10, by showing a visual breakdown of the Texas attorney general’s legal entanglements across nearly a decade.
Baier aired it all during the live broadcast of “Trumpapalooza” on Fox News’ Special Report.
Paxton responded by comparing his situation to Donald Trump‘s legal battles, suggesting that powerful figures face retaliation when they challenge the status quo.
“I mean, it’s a long list here,” Baier said while putting on his glasses to examine the on-screen materials. “But as you look at that and you talk to voters who may be concerned about this, watching these commercials, what do you say?”
Paxton replied, comparing himself to the president, “He had many more indictments than I did. He had two impeachments. I went through a very similar process as him. And none of those things were proven. They all, if you’ll notice, they were all dismissed or they’re gone.”
What Baier read aloud
According to Baier’s data, Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015. He reached a pretrial agreement and charges were dropped. Subsequently, federal fraud charges were announced in 2016, but a federal judge dismissed the case in 2017.
In 2020, staff members accused him of accepting bribes and abusing power. The Republican Texas House impeached him over accusations of misuse of power. The Texas State Senate acquitted him of the impeachment articles.
In 2025, he was ordered to pay four former employees $6.6 million for violating the Texas Whistleblower Act.
The Federal fraud investigation
Four months after the state indictment in 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission opened its own investigation into the same dealings. In April 2016, federal authorities filed civil fraud charges against Paxton in a lawsuit.
A federal judge dismissed the SEC’s lawsuit in 2017, short-circuiting what could have become another prolonged legal battle for him.
Trump’s endorsement
At the Republican Party’s midterm convention Wednesday, August 9, Trump made Paxton the first candidate he mentioned by name when he took the stage for his keynote address.
“I’ll be coming back to Texas, because we have to elect Ken Paxton,” before adding some backhanded praise.
“Some may not like the way he dresses. I don’t. Although tonight he looked very spiffy in his blue suit, I must tell you,” he said. “He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen”
Trump then went on to call Paxton “the best attorney general in the country, perhaps one of the best in the entire country.”
Paxton’s Senate race
The Senate race between Paxton and James Talarico is highly competitive, with polling averages showing the Democrat with a narrow edge as the general election approaches. The seat has long been Republican territory.
Talarico, a state representative, has raised significantly more money than Paxton and has begun running attack advertisements highlighting the attorney general’s legal troubles.
He recently attacked Paxton, highlighting that “He now owns fifteen homes while most Texans can’t afford one. It’s why he has taken bribes from wealthy donors, all while blocking overtime pay for Texas workers and gutting our healthcare.”
During the convention, Paxton called Talarico “the most radical Democrat in Texas history,” while urging people to vote for him. “I need your prayers, your votes and your support. If we lose Texas, we lose the common sense revolution.”