The FBI probe into Ken Paxton came to an end at the end of the Biden Administration, according to reports from the Associated Press. The news fuels speculation that Paxton will attempt to run for the US Senate seat currently held by John Cornyn.
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department made the decision not to prosecute Attorney General Ken Paxton in the final weeks of the Biden administration, the Associated Press reported Thursday. Paxton has been under FBI investigation since 2020 after aides accused him of bribery and abusing his office to help a political donor, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul. The accusations led to Paxton's impeachment, but he was acquitted by the state Senate.
At an unrelated press conference in Dallas on Thursday, Paxton's attorney Dan Cogdell said he was surprised that the decision was made under the Biden Administration, but never believed, in his opinion, there was a case that could be prosecuted. "No jury was ever going to convict, in my view, based on the testimony of the whistleblowers after the impeachment trial because they said such silly things," said Cogdell.
Paxton used the news Thursday to take shots at both former President Joe Biden and current Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who many believe Paxton could challenge for the senate seat in 2026. What they're saying: "This former TX Supreme Court Justice and TX Attorney General ignored the rule of law, the Constitution, and innocent until proven guilty while standing with the corrupt Biden DOJ cheering on the bogus witch hunts against both me and President Trump," Paxton said on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Paxton ended the post with a screenshot of the Associated Press story and "Care to comment now, John?" with a link to a 2024 post from Cornyn about the possibility of Paxton running for Senate. "Hard to run from prison, Ken," Cornyn's Feb. 28, 2024, post reads.
The attorney general went back to X a few hours later to take a shot at Biden. "Joe Biden weaponized the DOJ to try and take me down because I sued his radical Administration over 100 times and never backed down from challenging his lawless actions. Even the corrupt Biden DOJ knew this bogus witch hunt was politically motivated nonsense, which is why it was closed in the final hours of the failed Biden Administration. Thankfully, the integrity of the DOJ is being restored under President Trump and Attorney General Bondi. I will continue to defend the people of Texas and their freedoms—as I always have—and fight back against the far-left's extremist agenda no matter what they try and do to stop me," Paxton said.
2026 Senate race Cornyn has already announced he would seek a fifth term in the Senate. What they're saying: "President Trump needs a battle-tested partner by his side in Washington," Cornyn's campaign said. "The radical left thinks they can flip Texas blue, but Texans have a message for them – come and take it." Paxton responded to the senator's announcement by suggesting Cornyn is working against the Trump presidency, further fueling the rumors that Paxton could challenge Cornyn for the Republican nomination.
"Are you delusional?" Paxton said on X. "Texans won't believe your lies or forget how you've consistently worked to undermine the President." Will Ken Paxton challenge Cornyn in 2026? Paxton has not officially announced a campaign to challenge Cornyn in the 2026 Senate primaries, though he's dropped several hints. In February, Paxton did an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson where he said he still hasn't decided if he'll run a primary campaign against incumbent Cornyn. "I don't know if I'm running for sure. I'm looking at it," Paxton said. "Probably in the next few months I'll be talking to people around the state."
A February poll by the University of Houston showed a slight edge for Cornyn, with 75% of potential voters saying they consider voting for him versus 68% of voters saying they would consider Paxton. READ MORE: 2026 US Senate: What new poll shows about possible Ken Paxton, John Cornyn race.
Paxton has hinted at a possible Senate run since he was acquitted in his 2023 impeachment trial. Cornyn spoke out against Paxton ahead of the political trial, saying he was troubled by the allegations against the attorney general. After his acquittal, Paxton turned his sights against Cornyn. Paxton has consistently referred to Cornyn as a RINO, or a "Republican in name only."
Paxton federal investigation The federal investigation had been the most serious inquiry still facing Paxton, who settled the securities fraud case and was acquitted of corruption charges in the Texas Senate in 2023 following a historic impeachment. Paxton agreed last year to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution under a deal to end criminal securities fraud charges over accusations that he duped investors in a tech startup near Dallas.
The allegations against Paxton were stunning in part because of who made them. Eight of his closest aides reported him to the FBI in 2020, accusing him of bribery and abusing his office to help one of his friends and campaign contributors, Nate Paul, who also employed a woman with whom Paxton acknowledged having had an extramarital affair. The same allegations led to Paxton’s impeachment on articles of bribery and abuse of public trust, but he was acquitted by the Republican-led Texas Senate, where his wife is a senator but did not cast a vote during the trial.
Paul pleaded guilty in January to a federal charge after he was accused of making false statements to banks to obtain more than $170 million in loans. The Justice Department’s public integrity section, which oversees public corruption cases, took over the Paxton investigation in 2023. The Justice Department has never publicly explained its decision to recuse the federal prosecutors in west Texas who had been leading the investigation. The move was pushed for by Paxton’s attorneys.
What they're saying: "Ever since he has been in office he has had some kind of investigation or indictment over his head. Now it looks like it's over with," said attorney Richard Roper. "There was no restitution ordered. which means the bank did not lose any money. so that big federal investigation ended in a whimper. and it was done at the end of the Biden Administration, so interesting the timing." The Source: Information on the Justice Department's ending of its investigation comes from the Associated Press. Comments from Paxton come from his X account. Information on Cornyn's reelection campaign and a possible Paxton challenge come from previous FOX reporting. Background information on the federal investigation comes from the Associated Press.
