FBI arrests Austin real estate developer at center of Texas attorney general's impeachment

The FBI on Thursday arrested Nate Paul, a real estate developer in Austin who is at the center of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's legal and political troubles. Paxton was impeached by the Republican-led House in May, and most of the 20 articles center on allegations Paxton corruptly used his office to aide Paul, a major donor. Paul, 36, was booked in a Travis County jail Thursday afternoon on a federal warrant for unspecified felony charges.
The FBI has been investigating Paul at least since it raided his home and business offices in 2019 alongside Treasury Department agents. In 2020, top employees in Paxton's office told the FBI that the attorney general was using his office to run legal interference for Paul and help his struggling real estate empire. The FBI then opened an ongoing investigation of Paxton.
Along with donating $25,000 to Paxton in October 2018, Paul is accused of paying for an extensive 2020 remodel of an Austin house Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton (R), bought in 2018, and for facilitating Paxton's extramarital affair by hiring his mistress. The attorney general's office officials who blew the whistle on Paxton were either fired, suspended or quit. Four of them sued Paxton for wrongful termination, Paxton settled with them in January and then asked the Legislature to finance the $3.3 million payout. A House committee then quietly investigated Paxton, leading to his impeachment.
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.
It isn't clear if Paul's arrest was tied to the Paxton allegations. The Justice Department declined to comment on the arrest. Dan Cogdell, an impeachment lawyer for Paxton, told The Dallas Morning News he assumes the charges against Paul are related to the Paxton investigation. "You don't have to be Nostradamus to assume that they're going to try to flip Nate Paul to testify against Ken," he said. "I don't know that for a fact. But I'd be very surprised if that wasn't the case. ... Because otherwise, you know, logically [the FBI] would have arrested them both at the same time."
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.
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy
-
Judge blocks key part of Trump's elections overhaul
Speed Read Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision temporarily bars federal officials from requiring Americans to prove they are citizens to register to vote
-
Hegseth's chief of staff joins Pentagon exodus
Speed Read Joe Kasper has stepped down, leaving the Defense Secretary 'increasingly isolated'