A prosecutor's office said Friday that it won't move forward with a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over his refusal to release his communications relating to his appearance at a pro-Donald Trump rally that preceded the breach at the U.S. Capitol last year.
The Austin-based Travis County district attorney's office said in a letter that it wouldn't sue because journalists who had requested Paxton's records didn't want to testify in court; they were concerned they might have to reveal their sources, The Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle reported.
The district attorney's office told Paxton in January that he had violated the state's open record laws and that he must remedy the issue or face a lawsuit. Paxton's office denied any violations and rejected the demand.
The district attorney’s office launched its investigation after editors at Texas’ largest newspapers filed a complaint.
Paxton appeared at a Jan. 6, 2021, event in Washington, D.C., where he gave a speech touting efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election because of widespread voter fraud.
Paxton, a Republican, faces multiple legal challenges as he runs for reelection this year. Among them, the Texas bar association is seeking to punish him for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
In May, Paxton defeated Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush in a Republican runoff election. That victory sets him up for a general election contest with Rochelle Garza, a South Texas Democrat and civil rights lawyer.
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