Ever since Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted last summer on three felony charges related to alleged financial fraud in his personal business dealings, he has said little about the matter save for an initial court appearance where he pled not guilty.But he has lawyered up.His five-person defense team contains some of the state’s top legal talent, including veteran Houston criminal lawyer Dan Cogdell, securities expert Philip Hilder and former federal white-collar crime prosecutor Bill Mateja.How Paxton is paying for his criminal defense — a legal tab estimated to easily exceed a million dollars — is one of the ongoing puzzles in the case against the state’s top lawyer.Beyond confirming he would not use campaign contributions or taxpayer dollars, which he cannot by law because the case is not related to his public duties, the McKinney Republican has declined to elaborate on how he is covering his legal expenses. Mateja did not respond to a request for comment.Soliciting donations for a legal defense fund would be difficult without running afoul of the state’s bribery statutes prohibiting elected officials from receiving gifts from individuals or entities subject to their authority, which, in the case of the attorney general’s office, could be quite broad.
Source: How Is Ken Paxton Paying For His Criminal Defense? | The Texas Tribune