East Texas state senator stands by votes to convict Ken Paxton

AUSTIN, Texas (KLTV) - A Republican state senator representing East Texas released a statement Monday re-affirming his weekend votes to convict Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton was on trial in the senate after 70 percent of Republicans in the State House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton in May. On Saturday, the Senate voted on all 16 articles of impeachment, ultimately acquitting him on each count. Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville), who represents the greater part of East and Southeast Texas and Jefferson County, voted “yay” on most counts, joined only by Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills).

“I voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton because of the credible testimony I heard and the many thousands of pages of evidence presented during trial,” Nichols said in a statement. “(T)estimony, combined with the totality of all the other evidence presented by the House Board of Managers, proved to me beyond a reasonable doubt that the Attorney General’s actions violated Texas law and his oath of office.”

Nichols said he was simply doing what he felt was right.

“The oath I swore, to render a true verdict based on the evidence presented, did not leave room for politics or second guessing,” he said. “I have - and always will - vote for what I believe is right.”