Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered to release emails, texts from around Jan. 6 Capitol attack


The Travis County district attorney's office in Austin informed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Thursday that he had violated the state's open record laws by refusing to release any of his communications from around last Jan. 6, when Paxton was in Washington, D.C., and appeared at the rally the preceded the Capitol siege. District Attorney José Garza (D) gave Paxton four days to "cure this violation" by turning over the documents or face a lawsuit.
The Texas Public Information Act gives the public the right to government records, including those on personal devices or a public official's online accounts. Paxton has tried to claim attorney-client privilege for every email and text he sent in the days surrounding the Jan. 6 attack. The top editors of five newspapers — the Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Houston Chronicle, and the San Antonio Express-News — filed a complaint with the Travis County D.A. on Jan. 4, accusing Paxton of violating the open records law.
The attorney general typically enforces the Public Information Act, but the law also allows the Travis County district attorney's office to handle violations filed against a state agency. The newspapers filed their complaint with Garza.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bill Aleshire, an attorney and transparency expert, told the Chronicle this is the first time he's heard of the statee attorney general being accused of violating the open records law to shield his own communications. "When the public official responsible for enforcing public records laws violates those laws himself, it puts a dagger in the heart of transparency at every level in Texas," he said. "Why should other Texas officials be transparent with public information if the AG himself is not?"
The House Jan. 6 committee is also interested in Paxton's communications with former President Donald Trump and has requested some of them from the National Archives and other federal agencies, The Texas Tribune notes.
Paxton, seeking re-election this year, "is currently facing the fiercest scrutiny of his decades-long career, with several GOP challengers, three state criminal indictments, allegations of an extramarital affair, and a pending FBI bribery investigation," the Chronicle reports. "Paxton has denied any wrongdoing."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 8, 2025
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - indiscriminate deportations, suspicious purchases, and more
By The Week US Published
-
'Cordial Conversation' cocktail recipe
The Week Recommends This multi-layered cocktail features an appealing combination of flavours including jasmine tea and watermelon syrup
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's most beautiful campsites
The Week Recommends From wild camping to luxury glamping, these magnificent spots are the perfect setting for a nature-filled break
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Greenland: Sending in the advance guard
Feature The Vice President's 3-day trip to Greenland was cut short after facing backlash from local officials and residents
By The Week US Published
-
Free speech: The case of Rumeysa Ozturk
Feature The Turkish student was confronted by masked federal agents and transported in an unmarked vehicle
By The Week US Published
-
Judge orders US to recall deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration has been ordered to retrieve one of the migrants it sent to a prison in El Salvador due to an 'administrative error'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump calls tariffs 'medicine' as stocks plunge
Speed Read 'Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something,' the president said of his imposed 10% tariffs on imported goods
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump axes NSA head, NSC staff after Loomer advice
Speed Read On the recommendation of Laura Loomer, Trump fired the head of the National Security Agency and several National Security Council officials
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump says tariffs 'going very well' as markets fall
speed read US financial markets had their biggest one-day drop since the advent of Covid-19
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Elon Musk's DOGE job coming to an end?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Plummeting popularity, a stinging electoral defeat and Tesla's shrinking market share could be pulling the tech billionaire out of Trump's presidential orbit
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump's actions cut a wide swath across Hawaii's economy
In Depth The state's tourism and farming sectors are two of the largest hit industries
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published