Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has filed two more motions with the Texas Senate ahead of his impeachment trial. 

The Washington Examiner reports that the motions were filed just ahead of the Saturday deadline.

Paxton currently stands accused of bribery, abuse of power, and retaliation against whistleblowers.

The latest motions are part of Paxton's attempt to defend himself against these allegations.

The latest

Of the two motions filed by Paxton this weekend, one is a motion to dismiss evidence that Paxton claims is inadmissible and one is a motion to dismiss one of the impeachment articles that has been brought against him.

Regarding the former, Just the News reports:

In the first motion, Paxton’s attorneys say that investigators hired by the House General Investigating Committee argued that Natin “Nate” Paul contributed $25,000 to Paxton’s campaign in October 2018 and this is connected to an impeachable offense. Paxton’s attorneys argue a campaign contribution from five years ago has nothing to do with impeachment, is “wholly irrelevant, immaterial, and non-probative to this impeachment inquiry, and therefore any reference to them is barred by the Texas Rules of Evidence.” They also argue Paul’s contribution is “not within the scope of admissible evidence.

The impeachment article that Paxton is looking to get dismissed is Article V, Disregard of Official Duty. This article alleges that Paxton engaged in a "baseless complaint" that benefitted Natin “Nate” Paul.

Paxton argues that this is not an impeachable offense.

Paxton's attorneys, in the motion, write:

No legislature sitting as a court of impeachment has ever suggested that an elected official’s formation of an employment contract with a subordinate attorney — even if other subordinates disagree with how or why that contract was formed — rises to the level of a "grave official wrong." Whether the product of a slapdash investigation, a basic misunderstanding of Texas law, or both, Attorney General Paxton is entitled to acquittal as a matter of law on Article V.

Background

These two motions come after Paxton and his legal team have filed several others.

In fact, Just the News reports, Paxton, previously, "filed motions to quash the articles, to dismiss 19 articles, to bar three Democrats as jurors, and to exclude evidence gathered in violation of the U.S. Constitution, among other motions."

Suffice it to say that Paxton and his team are working vigorously to defeat this impeachment.

Next, impeachment managers from the Texas House of Representatives will respond to the motions.

They must do so by the Aug. 15, 2023, deadline.