CNN Newsroom: Interview With State Representative James Talarico (D-TX)

Interview

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Yes. Thanks for having me, Jim. I just got off the House floor where I cast perhaps the most consequential vote during my time here in the legislature. I joined a bipartisan super majority of my colleagues to impeachment our corrupt attorney general. And now Ken Paxton is effectively removed from office.

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You know, I couldn't be prouder of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the Texas House. In this age of extreme partisanship and polarization, Democrats and Republicans came together to hold a corrupt public official accountable.

You know, nobody is above the law, including our top law enforcement official in the state. That's exactly what we showed with this vote. And I hope folks recognize that corrupt public officials like Ken Paxton are the rot at the core of our broken political system. And holding them accountable is our job as elected officials. And I hope that elected officials across the country will take note of what we've done here in the Texas House.

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Yes. I can confirm that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, some of them were called by Ken Paxton himself while they were on the floor, right before they took this important historic vote. And that to me is just further confirmation of Ken Paxton's corruption. And I think it's even more evidence of his abuse of office.

You know, if a public official betrays the public trust, if they abuse their power, then they should face consequences regardless of what political party they belong to.

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You know, I hope the Texas Senate follows the lead of the Texas House, and I hope those senators come together on a bipartisan basis to hold Ken Paxton accountable for his corruption. But as you mentioned, Jim, this is different than impeachment proceedings at the federal level because now that the Texas House has voted to impeach the attorney general, he is removed from office.

He is no longer the attorney general, and he can only be reinstated if the Texas Senate takes action. And an impeachment proceeding is less about, you know, trying to punish the guilty. It's more about trying to protect the citizens of Texas. Protect our constituents. And having the top law enforcement official, the top cop on the take, is a danger to every person in the state, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat. And our job is to keep our citizens safe. That's exactly what we did today in the Texas House.

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Yes, that's right. This all could have been avoided if Ken Paxton just resigned from office, right, if he just felt basic shame for what he had done. But he doesn't feel shame. In fact he's shameless. He think thinks that his political friends including former President Trump will protect him. The Texas House on a bipartisan basis, Republicans and Democrats, just showed that that's not going to work this time. That we are going to hold him accountable for his corruption and the harm he's done to the people of the state.

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Thank you, Jim.

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