Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has turned the state's consumer protection laws into his political weapon of choice, targeting organizations that clash with his own views. According to a joint analysis by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, Paxton's office has issued more than a dozen demands to scrutinize records from varied groups, ranging from pharmaceutical companies to children's hospitals in the last two years alone.
This revelatory exercise in authority is not merely about safeguarding Texans from economic malfeasance but seems to systematically select entities that diverge from Paxton's conservative stance. For example, Paxton aggressively pursued investigations against pharma giants like Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, demanding records related to COVID-19 vaccine marketing and effectiveness, seeding doubt about manipulated trial data and potential side effects.
It's notable that Paxton's dragnet also scooped up crowdfunding platform GoFundMe over a dismantled fundraiser for Canadian truckers opposing vaccine mandates. The platform removed the campaign citing law enforcement reports of related violence and altered how it handled the funds post-backlash. In response, GoFundMapme stated they have "clear terms of service that outline acceptable use" and that the company cooperated with Paxton's inquiry.
Legal nonprofits haven't been spared either. Last spring, Paxton thrust the Texas Bar Foundation and other legal aid organizations like American Gateways and the Tahirih Justice Center under the microscope after allegations that their funding might abet border crisis. These groups work to provide for the underserved, but Paxton saw fit to potentially ensnare them in red tape, demanding documents to unravel if they were "exacerbating the current crisis at the border."
Moreover, Paxton's office dragged children's hospitals into the political fray over gender-affirming care. Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin and Houston's Texas Children's Hospital found themselves under investigation for offering hormone therapy to transgender children, a hot-button issue for Paxton's conservative base. These hospitals are meant to heal, but instead they've had to navigate a veritable minefield of legal demands and public controversies due to Paxton's crusade.
Most recently, Yelp became a target when Paxton joined forces with other attorneys general accusing the business review site of misleading consumers by tagging crisis pregnancy centers with notices about the limited medical services they provide. Yelp modified the notices but then Paxton proceeded to sue. Yelp struck back with a statement saying Paxton's action "sets a dangerous precedent" and challenges the free speech protection.
The current focus isn't merely local, as Paxton has also gone after Seattle Children's Hospital, a Washington-based institution, and the Atlanta-based QueerMed. He's even set his sights on Media Matters for America, a progressive media watchdog, following allegations the nonprofit manipulated data on a social media platform.
Through all these inquiries and suits, Paxton's office has been tight-lipped, providing no updates or statuses on the investigations, despite numerous requests for comment.
