A review by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took nearly 1,000 trips with a state-funded Department of Public Safety security detail after taking office in 2015. The detail cost taxpayers $3.3 million, the news organizations reported.
Findings from the travel records
The reporters said they could connect 138 of those trips, and $553,000 in security costs, to state business. Their investigation also found that one in six of Paxton’s trips had a stated business purpose. These findings concern his broader travel record and do not establish whether a security detail was used for the Fiji-bound trip.
Airport sighting and transition
View From the Wing reported that Paxton and Tracy Duhon were seen at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday night, eight days after Paxton lost his U.S. Senate bid. The outlet said they appeared to be headed to Fiji and that a witness heard them express concern about whether their luggage would make the trip.
Paxton’s lawyer confirmed that his divorce from state Sen. Angela Paxton was finalized, The Associated Press reported. The AP also reported that Democrat James Talarico defeated Paxton in the Senate race and that Democrat Nathan Johnson was elected attorney general and will take office in January. Paxton’s term ends in January 2027.
