This guy. I can’t even.
Ken Paxton
Despite promising last year to “wind down” his involvement in dozens of real estate and business ventures, Attorney General Ken Paxton continued to expand his holdings in 2014, according to personal financial documents.
Paxton pledged during last year’s campaign to begin divesting from his sizable business portfolio and funnel these investments into a blind trust after his political opponents raised concerns about conflicts of interest.
During the decade he was in the state Legislature, Paxton’s holdings grew from two businesses and real estate investments to 28 last year. Among those was a Dallas-based computer company that has been investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly defrauding its investors.
Personal financial disclosure forms Paxton filed at the end of last month show he became involved in three new businesses in 2014.
“As we stated we would during the campaign, we organized a blind trust and placed appropriate assets into the trust,” Paxton spokesman Anthony Holm said in a statement Monday. He did not respond to further requests about which or how many interests Paxton had divested or placed in the trust. He also did not answer several questions about why the attorney general continued to increase his business interests in 2014 despite Holm’s assurances last October that Paxton was “trying to liquidate or wind down many of these investments.”
The Chronicle also found Paxton did not disclose his involvement in one, Cherokee Children’s Camp LLC, on his filings for the last four years.
Holm said the attorney general did not need to include Cherokee in his filings.
“Concerning the Camp, my understanding is General Paxton has no interest in this entity nor has he ever; should an expanded filing be appropriate, then I expect our lawyer will do so.”
The Texas Secretary of State website lists Paxton as the president, secretary and treasurer of Cherokee Children’s Camp and Paxton’s residence as the principal place of business. Cherokee does not have a website or other online advertisement detailing what it is, but two business-related websites list it as a “women’s clothing store” in McKinney. Calls to the Robert Hultstrand of Frisco, who is listed as a “member” on Cherokee’s online documents, were not returned.
Asked how Paxton could have “no interest” in the camp, while acting as its president for multiple years, Holm said, “you can absolutely be president or treasurer or anything else of a business and have zero interest in it.”
Okay then. Just as Ted Cruz says a lot of incredibly stupid things for a supposedly smart guy, Ken Paxton sure says a lot of things that are demonstrably not true for a guy that’s supposed to be such a holy roller. I was always taught that lying was a sin, but then I’m a heathen, so what do I know. Your Attorney General, ladies and gentlemen.