FBI arrests Texas businessman linked to AG Paxton case

By Jake Blieberg and Paul J. Weber | Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — FBI agents on Thursday arrested a Texas businessman at the center of the scandal that led to the historic impeachment of state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Nate Paul was booked into an Austin jail in the afternoon after being taken into custody by federal agents, according to online inmate records of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. It was not immediately clear what charges led to his arrest, and the records said only that he was being held on a federal detainer for a felony. Attorneys for Paul and spokespersons for Paxton, and the U.S. attorneys office in West Texas did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FBI declined to comment.

Paul’s entanglements with Paxton were central to the GOP-led state House of Representatives’ overwhelming vote to impeach the Republican last month.

Paul’s troubled real estate empire has been the focus of federal scrutiny for years and agents searched his Austin offices and palatial home in 2019.

The next year, Paxton involved his office in the federal case, a move that prompted his top staff to report him to the FBI.

Their allegations of bribery and abuse of office by Paxton prompted separate FBI investigation of the attorney general, which remains ongoing.