In an impeachment that could become a first in decades in Texas history, a Republican-led committee of the state's House of Representatives recommended Thursday to impeach the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton alleging that his conduct included a slew of abuses of his office.&nbsp;

As per the investigators on the committee, Paxton's actions are believed to be accounted for crimes.&nbsp;This comes as Texas is holding its 88th Legislature's regular session which kicked off on 10 January and will go on through 29 May.

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Since 2015, Paxton has been under a criminal indictment. He would have to temporarily step down from his position while he is tried in the State Senate. “There’s really no precedent — we’ve really only had two impeachments under the Constitution of 1876,” said a professor of political science at Rice University Mark P. Jones, reported New York Times.&nbsp;

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“Overturning elections begins behind closed doors,” Paxton tweeted earlier while sharing a video of his office lawyer who was seen arguing against his impeachment in conversation with media personnel at a committee room. It came when the committee was holding its deliberations over the impeachment.&nbsp;

<h2>Past impeachments&nbsp;</h2>

The impeachment, if goes forward, will be one of the few others that were conducted in the state’s history decades ago. They include the 1917 governor, who resigned the day before the Senate found him guilty, and the 1970s district judge who was found guilty and expelled. The committee convened in a private executive session before going for the vote.

The committee filed 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton following the vote, accusing him of a long list of abuses including accepting bribes, failing to perform his official duties, obstructing justice in a separate securities fraud case that is pending against him, lying on official documents and reports, and abusing the public trust.

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The committee claimed that many of the accusations pertained to the different ways Paxton had allegedly exploited his authority to promote a specific donor and subsequently fired people in the office who objected to his behaviour. The chairman of the committee and a Republican Andrew Murr termed the abuses “grave offenses” and said that he is intending to bring the accusations against him up for a vote by the House.

The extraordinary developments were likely to test the Republican Party in Texas in new and unpredictable ways, at a time when divisions in the party have increasingly been exposed.

The development also comes at a time when divides inside Republican Party are becoming more apparent in Texas. Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican representing Beaumont who is regarded as a conservative is in charge of the Texas House. In contrast, Paxton has sided with Texas' most adamant Republican lawmakers as well as former President Donald Trump.

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In an impeachment that could become a first in decades in Texas history, a Republican-led committee of the state's House of Representatives recommended Thursday to impeach the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton alleging that his conduct included a slew of abuses of his office.

In an impeachment that could become a first in decades in Texas history, a Republican-led committee of the state's House of Representatives recommended Thursday to impeach the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton alleging that his conduct included a slew of abuses of his office. As per the investigators on the committee, Paxton's actions are believed to be accounted for crimes. This comes as Texas is holding its 88th Legislature's regular session which kicked off on 10 January and will go on through 29 May. Also Read | More than 5,000 new species discovered on seabed of Pacific Ocean Since 2015, Paxton has been under a criminal indictment. He would have to temporarily step down from his position while he is tried in the State Senate. “There’s really no precedent — we’ve really only had two impeachments under the Constitution of 1876,” said a professor of political science at Rice University Mark P. Jones, reported New York Times. Also Read | Elon Musk's Neuralink cleared for human test of brain implants “Overturning elections begins behind closed doors,” Paxton tweeted earlier while sharing a video of his office lawyer who was seen arguing against his impeachment in conversation with media personnel at a committee room. It came when the committee was holding its deliberations over the impeachment. Past impeachments The impeachment, if goes forward, will be one of the few others that were conducted in the state’s history decades ago. They include the 1917 governor, who resigned the day before the Senate found him guilty, and the 1970s district judge who was found guilty and expelled. The committee convened in a private executive session before going for the vote. The committee filed 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton following the vote, accusing him of a long list of abuses including accepting bribes, failing to perform his official duties, obstructing justice in a separate securities fraud case that is pending against him, lying on official documents and reports, and abusing the public trust. Watch | Battleground Bakhmut: Russia vs Ukraine | WION Wideangle × The committee claimed that many of the accusations pertained to the different ways Paxton had allegedly exploited his authority to promote a specific donor and subsequently fired people in the office who objected to his behaviour. The chairman of the committee and a Republican Andrew Murr termed the abuses “grave offenses” and said that he is intending to bring the accusations against him up for a vote by the House. The extraordinary developments were likely to test the Republican Party in Texas in new and unpredictable ways, at a time when divisions in the party have increasingly been exposed. The development also comes at a time when divides inside Republican Party are becoming more apparent in Texas. Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican representing Beaumont who is regarded as a conservative is in charge of the Texas House. In contrast, Paxton has sided with Texas' most adamant Republican lawmakers as well as former President Donald Trump. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

Texas Republican-led Panel files 20 articles of impeachment against state attorney general

New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned on Monday after allegations of physical abuse by four women were reported in an article in the New Yorker magazine.

Governor Andrew Cuomo had called for Schneiderman's resignation within hours of the article's publication, and only slightly more than an hour later Schneiderman, a Democrat who was running for re-election, said he was stepping down.

“In the last several hours, serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me," Schneiderman said in a statement. "While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time. I therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May 8, 2018.”

In the article published late on Monday, the New Yorker reported that four women who said they had had romantic relationships or encounters with Schneiderman said they had been subjected to nonconsensual physical violence.

Reuters has not independently confirmed the accusations.

“In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity," Schneiderman said in a statement issued by Stu Loeser & Co before he announced his resignation. "I have not assaulted anyone. I have never engaged in non-consensual sex, which is a line I would not cross."

Cuomo, in his statement calling for Schneiderman's resignation, referred to "the damning pattern of facts and corroboration laid out in the article," and said he did not believe it was possible for Schneiderman to continue to serve as attorney general.

The New Yorker reported that two of the women who spoke to the magazine "alleged that he repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent."

The two women who were named in the article both called the abuse by Schneiderman "assault," the magazine reported. One of the women said Schneiderman slapped her across the face after she rejected his advances and that when she told him she wanted to leave, he said, "A lot of women like it. They don't always think they like it, but then they do, and they ask for more," according to the article.

A spokesman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said the office is opening an investigation.

Schneiderman is not the first top-ranking New York politician who was forced to resign following media reports about his personal life.

Eliot Spitzer resigned as New York's governor in 2008 after a New York Times report revealed that he was caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet a prostitute in a Washington hotel room.

Spitzer, a Democrat who as the state's attorney general before becoming governor once broke up prostitution rings, was married at the time. He faced intense pressure to resign and impeachment threats from Republicans.

Schneiderman, a Harvard-educated lawyer, has been New York state's attorney general since late 2010. He has been a high-profile proponent of the #MeToo movement, which has seen accusations of sexual misconduct leveled against prominent men in politics, media, entertainment and business. They include Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

In February, Schneiderman sued the Weinstein Company and Weinstein himself, alleging years of sexual harassment and misconduct by the movie producer.

Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 70 women, including rape. He denies having non-consensual sex with anyone.

And in March, Cuomo ordered Schneiderman's office to review an investigation by Vance, the Manhattan district attorney, of a 2015 sexual assault case involving Harvey Weinstein, a case that Vance had decided not to try and prosecute.

The front page of Schneiderman's re-election campaign website on Monday night displayed his statement denying the accusations reported by the New Yorker, along with copies of news stories about his fight for abortion rights and a battle with the Trump administration. His statement of resignation was not posted.

New York state's constitution calls for the legislature to fill a vacancy in the office of the attorney general. But with the office up for election in November, any candidate chosen would serve only for a matter of months.

The primary election is scheduled for September, followed by the November general election.

Schneiderman is not the first top-ranking New York politician who was forced to resign following media reports about his personal life

New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned on Monday after allegations of physical abuse by four women were reported in an article in the New Yorker magazine. Governor Andrew Cuomo had called for Schneiderman's resignation within hours of the article's publication, and only slightly more than an hour later Schneiderman, a Democrat who was running for re-election, said he was stepping down. “In the last several hours, serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me," Schneiderman said in a statement. "While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time. I therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May 8, 2018.” In the article published late on Monday, the New Yorker reported that four women who said they had had romantic relationships or encounters with Schneiderman said they had been subjected to nonconsensual physical violence. Reuters has not independently confirmed the accusations. “In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity," Schneiderman said in a statement issued by Stu Loeser & Co before he announced his resignation. "I have not assaulted anyone. I have never engaged in non-consensual sex, which is a line I would not cross." Cuomo, in his statement calling for Schneiderman's resignation, referred to "the damning pattern of facts and corroboration laid out in the article," and said he did not believe it was possible for Schneiderman to continue to serve as attorney general. The New Yorker reported that two of the women who spoke to the magazine "alleged that he repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent." The two women who were named in the article both called the abuse by Schneiderman "assault," the magazine reported. One of the women said Schneiderman slapped her across the face after she rejected his advances and that when she told him she wanted to leave, he said, "A lot of women like it. They don't always think they like it, but then they do, and they ask for more," according to the article. A spokesman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said the office is opening an investigation. Schneiderman is not the first top-ranking New York politician who was forced to resign following media reports about his personal life. Eliot Spitzer resigned as New York's governor in 2008 after a New York Times report revealed that he was caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet a prostitute in a Washington hotel room. Spitzer, a Democrat who as the state's attorney general before becoming governor once broke up prostitution rings, was married at the time. He faced intense pressure to resign and impeachment threats from Republicans. Schneiderman, a Harvard-educated lawyer, has been New York state's attorney general since late 2010. He has been a high-profile proponent of the #MeToo movement, which has seen accusations of sexual misconduct leveled against prominent men in politics, media, entertainment and business. They include Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. In February, Schneiderman sued the Weinstein Company and Weinstein himself, alleging years of sexual harassment and misconduct by the movie producer. Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 70 women, including rape. He denies having non-consensual sex with anyone. And in March, Cuomo ordered Schneiderman's office to review an investigation by Vance, the Manhattan district attorney, of a 2015 sexual assault case involving Harvey Weinstein, a case that Vance had decided not to try and prosecute. The front page of Schneiderman's re-election campaign website on Monday night displayed his statement denying the accusations reported by the New Yorker, along with copies of news stories about his fight for abortion rights and a battle with the Trump administration. His statement of resignation was not posted. New York state's constitution calls for the legislature to fill a vacancy in the office of the attorney general. But with the office up for election in November, any candidate chosen would serve only for a matter of months. The primary election is scheduled for September, followed by the November general election.

New York state attorney general resigns after report he abused women

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Texas Republican-led Panel files 20 articles of impeachment against state attorney general

New York state attorney general resigns after report he abused women