All hail the latest temporary overlord.
A crook any way you look
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that a longtime aide, Angela Colmenero, will serve as the second interim attorney general following Ken Paxton’s impeachment.
After the House voted to impeach Paxton in May, he was immediately suspended from office, and Abbott later picked John Scott, the former Texas secretary of state, to be interim attorney general. But Abbott said Monday that Scott is departing and Colmenero will replace him, effective Friday.
“John Scott faithfully executed his duties as the interim Attorney General of Texas, and I thank him for his leadership in stepping up to serve his fellow Texans in this role,” Abbott said in a statement.
The announcement was something of a surprise, although Abbott seemed to hint at Scott’s brief tenure when he announced his appointment on May 31, calling Scott the “short-term interim attorney general.”
Colmenero has been serving as Abbott’s deputy chief of staff, a position Abbott promoted her to less than a month ago. She previously was principal deputy general counsel in the governor’s office. She also worked for Abbott when he was attorney general himself, including as chief of the General Litigation Division.
“Angela’s record of experience in state government and expertise in litigation will help her oversee the Texas Attorney General’s Office and serve as our state’s top law enforcement officer as the Texas Senate conducts impeachment proceedings,” Abbott said.
Colmenero’s appointment continues a trend of Abbott selecting people close to him for some of his most consequential personnel decisions in his time as governor. For example, he tapped Scott to be secretary of state in 2021 after the state Senate declined to confirm the previous secretary of state. Scott also worked for Abbott when he was attorney general.
See here for the background. The best thing I can say about Temporary AG John Scott is that he will have come and gone without me having to give him a single thought. May it be the same for Temporary AG Angela Colmenero.
Now, if Temporary AG Colmenero becomes Appointed And Hoping For A Full Term AG Colmenero – that is, if Paxton gets convicted and Abbott needs a more permanent temporary replacement, then we’ll need to take a closer look at her record and the fact that she’s yet another in a seemingly endless line of Abbott cronies and minions getting appointed to things. If it comes to that I will hope that the current levels of Republican-on-Republican acrimony and loathing have been maintained if not increased. This is what I wanted, y’all. Keep up the good work.