Sep 27, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Texas AG flees his home to avoid subpoena, court filing claims

Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, US, on Friday, Aug. 5.

Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas in August. Photo: Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) fled his home on Monday to avoid being served with a subpoena in a lawsuit related to abortion rights funding, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

Of note: Paxton tweeted that he left with his wife, Republican state Sen. Angela Paxton, in order "to avoid a stranger lingering outside my home and showing concern about the safety and well-being of my family."

Details: Ernesto Martin Herrera, a process server, arrived at Paxton's home in the morning with the goal of serving the subpoena for a federal court hearing Tuesday in the suit brought by nonprofits seeking to fund out-of-state abortions for Texans, according to the sworn affidavit.

  • A woman identifying herself as Angela Paxton answered the door and told him her husband was on the phone inside the home, but was in a "hurry to leave," per the filing. So he said he'd wait and nearly an hour later saw the attorney general leave the house.
  • "As soon as he saw me and heard me call his name out, he turned around and RAN back inside the house through the same door in the garage," Herrera wrote.
  • Moments later, Angela Paxton left the home and got inside a truck in the driveway before being joined by her husband, who ignored Herrera calling his name and the vehicle drove off, according to the filing.

What he's saying: "This is a ridiculous waste of time and the media should be ashamed of themselves," Paxton tweeted in response to a Texas Tribune report on the court filing.

  • "All across the country, conservatives have faced threats to their safety — many threats that received scant coverage or condemnation from the mainstream media."
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