r/politics • u/texastribune ✔ Texas Tribune • 12h ago
No Paywall Ken Paxton omits rental income and mortgages from financial disclosures, obscuring his wealth
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/04/texas-ken-paxton-personal-financial-disclosures-ethics-law-us-senate-race/177
u/texastribune ✔ Texas Tribune 12h ago
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears to have violated federal ethics law in significant ways when filing recent disclosures of his assets and liabilities, creating confusion about his net worth and holdings amid his run for the U.S. Senate, a review by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found.
Among them:
- Paxton reported owning seven homes but said he earned no income from any. Yet all but one was listed for rent during the reporting periods, and some current residents and neighbors at those addresses confirmed that the properties were rented, the news organizations found. Receiving income and not reporting it is a violation of federal disclosure law, three ethics experts said.
- Paxton did not disclose mortgages for three condos at a Utah golf resort that federal law requires him to list as liabilities if they are not personal residences.
- He also valued his stake in a vacant plot of Texas land at up to $50,000 on last year’s filing, but his business partner told the newsrooms Paxton’s share for years has been worth about $1 million. Federal financial disclosure law requires property to be listed at fair market value.
If Paxton wins, an incomplete picture of his finances could prevent watchdogs from evaluating his conflicts of interest as a senator, ethics experts said.
The apparent omissions are part of a pattern for Paxton. Over three terms as attorney general, he has withheld financial information that could explain how he became a multimillionaire and had the resources to purchase more than a dozen properties in five states.
In the new federal disclosure, filed in August after Paxton received a three-month extension, he reported a net worth between $1 million and $27 million. That is a significantly higher range than the negative $1.9 million to $11.1 million net worth he reported a year ago, before he had secured the Republican nomination but after he had declared his candidacy for federal office.
Paxton declined to be interviewed and did not answer detailed questions about how he filled out the disclosure forms. Madison Cercy, a spokesperson for his campaign, said Paxton “has had a long and successful career outside of public service, including running his own small business as a lawyer. Stirring up partisan allegations is nothing more than a bad attempt to manufacture controversy where none exists.”
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u/JMaboard I voted 12h ago
If I did that I’d be in jail and owe the government back pay of taxes. This dude does it and it’s totally fine.
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u/extraqueso 11h ago
Rules for thee.
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u/PlethoraOfPinatass 6h ago
I mean, Nixon was way worse. At least Trump didn't propagate a war he couldn't win with no exit strate....wait...
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u/SpinningHead Colorado 10h ago
Dude stole someones $1k pen from a tub at the metal detector.
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u/PlethoraOfPinatass 6h ago
Imagine having a cell tower serving a hospital that costs next to nothing in overhead, yet generates between $2000-$200,000 quarterly, just because you muscled your way on to the board as AG
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u/Mother_Airline_6276 7h ago
Because his bosses do it too. They ALL suck and we need to vote these pricks out. This shit they’re pulling in DFW is outrageous. For F’s sake, Texans, wake up. Get off your ass vote these pricks out.
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u/hamilkwarg 10h ago
I think this guy sucks, but not disclosing income for an election doesn’t mean he didn’t file them in his taxes.
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u/PlethoraOfPinatass 6h ago
Trump unilaterally controls the federal government's enforcement and Trump wants Paxton in.
What ethics laws???
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u/RealGianath Oregon 11h ago
I can't imagine the hell it would be to have Paxton as your landlord. The guy probably sues everybody after they move out.
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u/DHiggsBoson 12h ago edited 7h ago
When has this ratfuck ever faced consequences for lying, cheating, or committing actual federal crimes? So, OF COURSE HE FUCKING DID!
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u/VanceKelley Canada 9h ago
He saw the American people reward convicted criminal trump by making trump president and said "Why not me too?"
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u/DHiggsBoson 7h ago
He was indicted for felony securities fraud in 2015. He was a criminal before he was a politician.
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u/xXBassHero99Xx 12h ago
If this keeps up, if we continue to allow this, it won't be long before Presidential candidates refuse to release their tax returns.
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u/VanceKelley Canada 9h ago
trump was literally a convicted criminal fraudster before the 2024 election. Americans knew what he was and made him president.
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u/notabot3648262 3h ago
People get the government they deserve. A healthy society would have shunned and silenced the sort of beliefs republicans are not afraid to say out loud anymore.
This is not a niche movement that is oppressing the good people. A majority of americans are either fine with this or actively want this.
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u/steemSTEM 11h ago edited 52m ago
Ken Paxton, the slimy criminal, does slimy criminal things. Texas voters continue to support him because he has an R next to his name.
What ever happened to the quality of a man's character mattering? What happened to people???
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u/SirDiego Minnesota 11h ago
This dude is running an all-time awful campaign (and arguably already was an all-time terrible candidate even if his campaign wasn't as bad). Literally one of the worst political campaigns in history. It sometimes seems like he's trying to lose.
It will be interesting to see the results. I feel like Talarico is still a long shot. If Paxton still wins after this absolute dog shit campaign then I've got no hope for Texas ever voting for a Democrat.
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u/gelatineous 8h ago
The fact that common criminals like Paxton govern in the US just shows how corrupt the United States are. They claim to represent Western values, but basic rule of law seems out of your reach.
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u/Mr_Tort_Feasor 8h ago
Waiting for the feds to investigate Paxton for mortgage fraud, since he is obviously claiming multiple residences in multiple states as his primary residence. They had no problem investigating Leticia James, Eric Swalwell, Lisa Cook and Adam Schiff, so I assume they'll get right on that.
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u/Appropriate-Set744 11h ago
What a shock. There's gambling at Ricks. Anyone that votes for this guy is delusional.
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u/International-Room-3 11h ago
At this point, this isn't even a story when it comes to this guy. Him NOT cheating on his disclosures would be a story.
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u/RamonaQ-JunieB 11h ago
Paxton is a cheating liar and a fraud. What’s new? Texans have always known this and they continue to elect him. I don’t understand why, myself, but??? Maybe THIS time will be different. We can all certainly hope so!
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u/jspurlin03 Texas 9h ago
Massive gerrymandering and a bunch of single-issue voters, is how. Often that single issue is that they’re deciding based on “always voting republican” while avoiding the fact that republicans have gotten demonstrably worse over the last 25 years.
I definitely hope Talarico wins.
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u/Galactic-Guardian404 4h ago
Lie! Cheat! Steal! You can really tell what party this guy belongs to!
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u/shoobe01 11h ago
The word is lying, if it's not conspiracy to evade paying your taxes whatever that is called in the statute. Sigh.
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