Judge moves, pushes Texas attorney general's criminal trial
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — On the brink of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton facing a jury on criminal securities fraud charges, a judge Thursday ordered a delay until the trial can be moved from the Republican's hometown where prosecutors have accused conservative allies of trying to derail the case.
Among those prosecutors have singled out is Rick Santorum, the former U.S. senator and GOP presidential candidate, who told a Dallas television station earlier this year that the felony indictments against Texas' top prosecutor were a witch hunt.
It is now unclear when Paxton — who has spent the majority of his two years in office under indictment — will stand trial over allegations that he improperly steered investors toward a tech startup without disclosing that he was being paid by the company. The trial was set to begin in May.
But state District Judge George Gallagher sided with special prosecutors who argued they couldn't get a fair trial in suburban Collin County, outside Dallas, where Paxton lives and where his supporters have publicly railed against the case. One Paxton ally has succeeded in tying up $200,000 prosecutors say they're owed after filing a lawsuit claiming that their fees are exorbitant.
In turn, prosecutors have threatened to quit if they don't get paid, in what legal observers say may be an unprecedented courtroom twist.
Read more: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/texas/article_874918fd-c985-535d-af48-8122bf4db029.html
[font color=330099]Charge the prosecution expenses back to the Texas Comptroller. Since this is a case involving a state elected official all of the taxpayers need to share in the cost rather than having one county pick up the expense.[/font]
