Inside the Impeachment: Paxton on Trial — Day 1

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We’ve completed the first day of the impeachment trial — and a lot has already happened. 

Here’s some highlights:

• The Senate voted to deny all of Attorney General Paxton’s motions to dismiss the articles of impeachment, with all motions receiving only six to ten affirmative votes from some Republicans.
• Motions needed a majority of 16 to be approved, while conviction on any of the articles of impeachment will need 21 votes.
• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick gave more specifics about the timeline of the trial, saying that he expects to meet every weekday from 9 AM to 6 PM, and possibly on Saturdays except for this upcoming Saturday.
• In a decision on another motion, Patrick ruled that Paxton cannot be compelled to testify at trial, highlighting the similarities between criminal trials and the impeachment trial.
• Patrick, his legal advisor for the trial, senators, Senate staff, and witnesses were all sworn in under oath.
• Attorney General Ken Paxton pleaded not guilty to all articles of impeachment.
• House General Investigating Chair Andrew Murr gave the opening statement for the impeachment managers, while attorneys Tony Buzbee and Dan Cogdell gave opening statements on behalf of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
• Jeff Mateer, the former first assistant attorney general and one of the eight whistleblowers, was called to testify by the House Impeachment Managers.
• Debate over excluding evidence from the trial because of “privileged communication.”