Paxton Impeachment Cost Taxpayers $5.1 million

The impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton cost the state approximately $5.1 million in taxpayer funds, according to a report released by the State Auditor’s Office on March 21, 2025. This figure is about 20% higher than earlier estimates, which had pegged the cost at around $4.2 million based on records released in late 2023. The majority of the expenses—nearly 87%, or over $4.4 million—were incurred by the Texas House, primarily to pay for outside attorneys and investigators hired to prosecute the case. Notable among these were Houston attorneys Rusty Hardin and Dick DeGuerin, whose legal teams billed the state roughly $3.7 million. The Texas Senate spent approximately $435,000, covering costs like lawmakers’ per diem payments and trial documentation, while the Attorney General’s Office and other minor agencies added about $230,000 and $8,500, respectively, to the total. These costs stem from the 2023 impeachment effort, which ended in Paxton’s acquittal by the Senate.