Ken Paxton’s Security for Travel Cost Taxpayers Millions. Just 1 in 6 of His Trips Had a Stated Business Purpose.

In the summertime of 2023, after he was impeached on charges of abusing his workplace for individual gain, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was suspended and disallowed from performing any main organization for more than 3 months while waiting for trial in the state Senate.

He took a trip.

Paxton, a Republican who is now running for U.S. Senate, took a minimum of 17 journeys over 3 months, consisting of to resort locations Park City, Utah, and Vail, Colorado. He checked out the Oklahoma town where he owns a getaway lodge and a Utah neighborhood with a golf resort, where he later on purchased 4 condos.

State authorities joined him each time, costing taxpayers 10s of countless dollars for journeys unassociated to his task as attorney general of the United States. The Texas Senate eventually acquitted him on the impeachment charges.

Paxton’s usage of the taxpayer-funded information did not start or end there. It stands out compared with his predecessor, fellow chosen authorities in Texas and other state lawyers basic, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune discovered.

Paxton has actually taken a trip regularly out of state while noting little on his main calendar, The Associated Press reported recentlyProPublica and the Tribune’s analysis, that included evaluating every openly readily available file Paxton’s workplace states it has about his travel, reveals for the very first time how few of his journeys had actually a noted organization function: simply 1 in 6.

It likewise discovered Paxton’s security has actually cost taxpayers even more than has actually formerly been reported.

Considering that presuming workplace in 2015, Paxton has actually taken almost 1,000 journeys with a state-funded security information, costing $3.3 million. The newsrooms’ evaluation of Paxton’s travel records, acquired through the state’s Public Information Act, might just link 138 of those journeys and $553,000 in security expenses to state company.

Records detailing the function of Paxton’s check outs to 36 states and 19 nations do not appear to exist. These consist of a journey to a town in Hawaii months before his household’s blind trust purchased land there; 24 journeys to Utah, where the trust owns 5 residential or commercial properties; and 53 journeys to Florida, where Paxton and the trust have 2 homes and a townhouse.

“If you’ve got all these additional journeys, it ends up being fairly and ethically troublesome,” stated Chris Toth, previous executive director of the National Association of Attorneys General, who has actually likewise slammed Paxton’s conduct on other concerns. “The ethical concern is whether a genuine security function has successfully end up being a taxpayer-funded aid.”

Texas law enables the Department of Public Safety to supply security for crucial state leaders, consisting of the attorney general of the United States, however does not need authorities to utilize it. Paxton himself hasn’t utilized it in at least 2 lots cases while taking a trip on main company.

Paxton has actually dismissed challengers’ attacks that he has actually utilized the benefits of workplace to benefit himself and has actually not responded to concerns about how he greatly increased his wealth as a public servant.

He likewise did not respond to in-depth concerns for this story. ProPublica and the Tribune sent out Paxton a spreadsheet detailing travel for which there was no record that he was on state service and asked him to supply extra details if the journeys were not individual. Neither Paxton nor his workplace offered such records. Rather, his workplace supplied a basic declaration.

“Throughout his profession, Ken Paxton has actually dealt with many security risks coming from his bold work as Attorney General combating on behalf of individuals of Texas,” his workplace stated in the declaration. “Those risks are a direct outcome of him handling the cartels intimidating Texans and a few of the country’s most hazardous violent crooks.”

Paxton’s workplace directed extra concerns to DPS.

A DPS representative decreased to address the newsrooms’ concerns, stating the firm does not talk about its security plans.

An Outlier Among Peers

To evaluate Paxton’s travel, ProPublica and the Tribune evaluated DPS logs for his security information and records from the attorney general of the United States’s workplace, consisting of air travel and accommodations invoices, dailies and his everyday calendars.

The records offered for his predecessor, Greg Abbottreveal a plain distinction: Abbott took a trip mainly within the state as attorney general of the United States, and his security cost $203,000 throughout his last 3 years in the workplace. Changed for inflation, Abbott’s security information cost $7,400 monthly. Paxton’s has actually balanced $24,300.

Since the state keeps records just for a minimal time, Abbott’s travel costs and his everyday calendars as chief law officer no longer exist, so the wire service might not figure out the number of his journeys were for organization.

Records are readily available, nevertheless, for Abbott’s security expenses as guv and for Lt. Gov. Dan PatrickBoth are likewise provided state authorities security and have actually remained in their present functions as long as Paxton.

When compared, the records reveal Paxton has actually taken 82 more out-of-state journeys with a security information than Abbott and almost as numerous as the guv and lieutenant guv integrated.

DPS security information records are offered for state leaders’ complete period, Abbott’s workplace just supplied calendars that record business-related activity for his very first 6 years in workplace. More than two-thirds of the guv’s global journeys throughout those years had actually a noted service function, compared to simply 2 of 25 for Paxton throughout his complete period. The guv’s workplace stated it prepared to launch the staying 5 years on Tuesday however just supplied 5 months, stating it required more time.

The attorney general of the United States’s records do disappoint a company function for travel to Albania, Aruba, Australia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Poland, South Africa or Taiwan.

The share of Paxton’s travel with a recorded organization function peaked early in his period, in 2018 and 2019, at 30%, the newsrooms’ analysis discovered. That lines up with the guv’s share of service travel throughout that duration.

Ever since, Paxton has actually taken less journeys that are recorded as state service while progressively taking a trip out of state. In 2015, simply 5 of Paxton’s 91 journeys with the security information had actually a noted company function. Forty-one were outdoors Texas.

Sometimes, Paxton has actually taken service journeys without a DPS information, an analysis of records from the department and the attorney general of the United States’s workplace programs. They consist of a 2019 conference in Nashville, Tennessee, with that state’s attorney general of the United States to go over opioid lawsuits and a 2021 see with unnamed U.S. senators in North Carolina. There is likewise no record of Paxton taking the information on political fundraising journeys to Florida and the Bahamas.

Paxton has actually taken a trip with security to other campaign-related activities, consisting of one that came simply 2 days after he was acquitted in the impeachment trial. Paxton boarded a Maine-bound personal airplane owned by a North Texas business owner to tape an episode of Tucker Carlson’s program, according to project financing records. Throughout the interview, he hinted that he ‘d challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 Republican primary.

“Everything is on the table for me,” Paxton stated when Carlson recommended he must run.

In his interview with Carlson, Paxton stated it was unjust that he was immediately suspended before he might clear his name. He stated he aspired to return to work which he was “reenergized to do the important things the citizens sent me to do.”

Paxton ought to spend for his own security on journeys where there is no advantage for Texans, like trips and project occasions, stated Richard Briffault, a teacher at Columbia Law School who has actually discussed federal government principles.

“There’s no factor for the taxpayers to be spending for things that they would not be spending for if he had actually stayed at home,” Briffault stated. “That’s an abuse of public funds.”

State authorities stated there are no records of Paxton or his project compensating Texas for security expenses.

Of the 10 most populated states, Texas and New York verified that they offer security for their chief law officers, while Florida law permits its leading attorney to get an information upon demand. North Carolina does not. Chief law officers workplaces for the staying 6 states did not react to ask for remark.

Previous Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum stated she never ever utilized a security information throughout her 12 years in workplace, which ended in 2024. The Democrat stated that Paxton’s greater profile may produce a higher requirement for defense, however his substantial out-of-state travel without a recorded company function raises concerns about his work.

“Was he minding the shop? There’s a great deal of work to be done at the workplace,” Rosenblum stated.

Travel and Real Estate

A few of Paxton’s travel to 4 states with a security information has actually overlapped with places where he or his household’s trust has actually acquired 10 residential or commercial properties given that 2021. A current ProPublica and Tribune analysis discovered he owns or co-owns 15 residential or commercial properties with a market price of about $11 million.

In June 2021, Paxton participated in an attorney generals of the United States conference in Maui. The security information noted the location as Lahaina, a little neighborhood on the Hawaiian island’s west coast. 4 months later on, Paxton’s household trust bought an oceanview lot in a property area there for $410,000, land records reveal.

The 7,000-square-foot lot stays uninhabited however has actually shown to be a smart financial investment, now evaluated at $1.2 million by Maui County.

Paxton established the trust with his separated other half, State Sen. Angela Paxtonwho decreased to be talked to however stated through a representative that she has actually not been associated with her hubby’s company transactions because 2024, when she declared divorce. The Paxtons’ pal, Chip Loper, runs the trust. He did not react to ask for remark.

Paxton has actually likewise gone to the Salt Lake City location 19 times, two times for noted service functions. He checked out 3 times– as soon as on company– in the months leading up to his household trust’s July 2021 purchase of a plot in the ski town of Eden. The trust purchased a mountainside lot on about two-thirds of an acre for $315,000 in money, the seller informed the newsrooms. It likewise stays undeveloped.

Throughout his suspension in August 2023, Paxton checked out St. George, Utah, a little city in the state’s southwest corner. Close-by is the Black Desert Resort, which hosts a yearly PGA Tour golf competition. Paxton acquired one apartment at the resort in 2025 and 3 more in February. Paxton secured home loans amounting to $1.9 million for them, according to legal files submitted with the regional county.

Paxton has actually checked out Florida more than any other state, 53 times. 2 of those journeys have actually a recorded organization function. In between 2021 and 2022, Paxton bought 2 homes in Ocala, understood for its horse reproducing market, and a townhouse in Dunedin, on the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa.

Paxton likewise took a trip with the information two times to Broken Bow, Oklahoma, where he bought a $1.5 million holiday lodge in 2022. He checked out in June 2023, throughout his suspension. Once again the following December. He took a trip to the nearby town of Idabel in 2023 and 2024. None of the journeys had actually a noted service function.

Records that reveal travel with a security information do not note the chief law officer’s name however rather the position. State authorities acquainted with the travel records stated the 2 short-lived attorney generals of the United States designated throughout Paxton’s suspension did not take the journeys noted on the state authorities travel logs.

The attorney general of the United States’s workplace has actually stated that Paxton’s work to protect big legal settlements with drugmakers and tech business needs regular travel. Such travel is kept in mind in calendars examined by ProPublica and the Tribune. Nevertheless, more than 800 journeys do not have a recorded organization function.

Paul Nolette, a Marquette University government teacher who studies chief law officers, stated that the function has actually ended up being more extensive in the last few years as states significantly team up on huge suits. That might cause more travel, he stated. Nolette included these authorities are worthy of periodic getaways like daily Americans.

Provided repetitive allegations from Democrats and Republicans alike about Paxton’s principles, Nolette stated it is tough to provide him the advantage of the doubt that he’s continuously working while leaving the state so often.

“It simply raises more warnings about how he’s utilizing the workplace to do things that might not offer the very best bang for the dollar for Texans,” Nolette stated.

Paxton has actually not commented openly about his usage of the taxpayer-funded information. Throughout a podcast interview in November, Houston legal representative Tony Buzbee, who led his impeachment defense, asked the chief law officer where he liked to take a trip.

“I enjoy Jackson Hole. I like Park City. I like the mountains. I likewise like beaches,” Paxton reacted. “I like locations in Florida, positions in California, despite the fact that I do not like to confess I go to California. It’s gorgeous to see them.”