Chad’s Morning Brief: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Indicted and Donald Trump Could Win a Large Chunk of Republican Voters as a Third-Party Candidate
Here are some of the issues that will be discussed on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show.
Paxton Turns Himself In
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton turned himself in Monday to be booked on felony charges of securities fraud. After having his mugshot taken and being finger printed, he was released from the Collin County Jail on $35,000 bond. According to the Texas Tribune, Democrats began attacking immediately.
Within minutes, Democrats and liberal groups began calling for his resignation. An indictment is not a finding of guilt, however, and Paxton has no obligation to step down. On Monday afternoon, Paxton's lawyer released a statement saying that he would plead not guilty and seek a trial by jury.
"He is looking forward to the opportunity to tell his side of the story" in court, said attorney Joe Kendall. "In the meantime, the Attorney General is returning to Austin to focus on his work on behalf of the citizens of Texas."
Paxton faces three counts: two for securities fraud, and another for acting as an investment advisor or representative without registering.
The indictments were unsealed Monday. They allege that Paxton offered to sell two people more than $100,000 worth of stock in a McKinney technology company, but didn’t disclose that the company was compensating him.
Paxton also didn’t make clear that he hadn’t personally invested in the company, the indictments allege. He received 100,000 shares, but that was in the form of compensation, according to the indictment.
One of the alleged victims in the case is listed as state Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana. The other is identified as Joel Hochberg.
The indictment comes as Servergy is in its own legal trouble. Federal investigators are looking into whether it defrauded investors with false claims about the sales of its data servers and their technological capabilities, according to court filings.
The Texas GOP quickly jumped to Paxton's defense. The statewide party released a statement minutes after his booking that criticized the “sloppy process” that led to the charges.
“Ken Paxton, like all Americans, deserves to have his say in a court of law, rather than be judged in a court of public opinion that is presided over by liberal interest groups,” said Aaron Whitehead, the party’s spokesman.
So now what? For the most part this will be a wait and see type of story. I don't expect Paxton to resign anytime soon but he could the closer we get to court action. Remember, Paxton is not obligated to resign his office but that doesn't mean he won't.
Trump a Real Threat If He Runs Third Party
According to a new Rasmussen poll, the number of Republicans that would vote for Donald Trump if he were to run as a third-party candidate should make the GOP very worried.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 29% of Likely U.S. Voters say they are at least somewhat likely to vote for Trump if he is not chosen as the GOP nominee and runs as a third party candidate. But that includes only 14% who say they are Very Likely to vote for him. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say they are unlikely to vote for the billionaire developer if he runs as a third-party presidential candidate, with 51% who say it’s Not At All Likely. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Worrisome for Republicans, however, is the finding that over a third (36%) of Likely GOP Voters say they are likely to vote for Trump if he’s a third-party candidate, with 18% who are Very Likely to do so. One-in-three (33%) voters who are not affiliated with either major party also are likely Trump voters, including 16% who say they are Very Likely to vote for him if he runs third-party.
While I don't believe that 36% of Republican voters would actually vote third party, it is troubling to see that number. If you're Hillary Clinton and the Democrats, you are praying that Trump runs.
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These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard on our KFYO YouTube page after the show and online at kfyo.com.
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