Texas AG Paxton Cuts Off Reporter Asking About NYT Property Investigation

Ken Paxton stood behind a podium in Fort Worth on Tuesday, flanked by more than a dozen sheriffs in cowboy hats. "While we have been working to support law enforcement, there have been others working to undermine it," he said, aiming the remark at Senate opponent James Talarico over a 2020 donation to the Austin Justice Coalition.

A reporter offered Paxton a chance to respond to The New York Times investigation about multiple properties he owned. Paxton asked that the questions from the press be limited to law enforcement. The reporter noted he was offering Paxton the opportunity to answer. Paxton repeated his wishes to only address law enforcement topics, standing at a podium bearing Talarico's face under the caption "Talarico: Handcuffed to his record."

Paxton ended the press conference and left the room.

The Times report found Paxton had acquired 15 properties worth roughly $9 million across Utah, Hawaii, Florida, and Oklahoma. He built this portfolio on a government salary of about $153,000 a year, during a Senate campaign and a divorce from state Sen. Angela Paxton. Talarico raised $30 million last quarter alone, more than triple Paxton's $9 million haul over the same three months.

ProPublica reported Paxton voted in six elections over two years using a Collin County address where, according to his estranged wife's divorce filings, he no longer lived. Records indicated he relocated to Denton County. The Collin County Democratic Party filed a formal complaint with the Texas Secretary of State and notified the Collin County District Attorney's Office.

Paxton built his political career on voter fraud claims, suing to challenge ballots in four other states after 2020 and creating a special election integrity unit inside his office. In 2024, nine officers from that unit arrived at the San Antonio home of Lidia Martinez, an 87-year-old LULAC volunteer, around 5:30 a.m. They questioned her for roughly three hours, held her outside in her nightgown during part of the search, and seized her phone, laptop, and personal calendar. The same round of raids searched the homes of former Bexar County Democratic Party chairman Manuel Medina and state House candidate Cecilia Castellano. No charges followed the search of Martinez's home. The standard applied to these volunteers applied to Paxton himself, at an event built around law enforcement, and he left rather than answer the questions.

Paxton's campaign responded to the allegations. Spokesperson Madison Cercy told reporters Paxton "is a lawful, registered Texas voter in full compliance with the law." She also criticized what she called the "political elite" for digging through his private life to "draw the most damning conclusion." The campaign left unaddressed how the two statements related to each other.

Two recent polls showed the race tightening in a state Trump carried by nearly 14 points in 2024. A New York Times/Siena poll from late June had Paxton and Talarico tied at 47 percent each. A University of Texas at Austin survey from the same month put Paxton ahead by a single point, 43 to 42, within the margin of error. Sen. Ted Cruz addressed the numbers on Sean Hannity's radio show, guest-hosted by Gov. Greg Abbott, calling Talarico "charming" and "affable" before adding, "Unfortunately, I do think he has a real chance. I think this is a real race. I think it's going to be close." Cruz predicted a Republican win, and Abbott agreed.

The Fort Worth exchange plays out against a national pattern of press restrictions. The Pentagon required journalists to sign a policy limiting their reporting to pre-approved information, until a federal judge struck it down in March. The White House barred reporters from the press secretary's office without an appointment and dropped the Associated Press, Reuters, and Bloomberg from its press pool. A reporter naming The New York Times and pressing Paxton for a direct answer reflects the same basic accountability work now facing friction across the country.

A spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State's office said the agency does not investigate complaints like the one Collin County Democrats filed. Its process calls for an initial review, followed by a referral to the Attorney General's office if reasonable cause exists. That office belongs to Paxton.

@Santitos

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