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In a 121-23 vote, Texas' Republican-led House of Representatives on Saturday impeached State Attorney General Ken Paxton on charges of bribery and abuse of public trust.

Awaiting the conclusion of a trial in the state Senate, the impeachment immediately removes Paxton from office and gives Republican governor Greg Abbott the authority to nominate a temporary replacement.

The vote is an unexpected blow for Paxton, one of the Republican Party's most notable legal figures, who in 2020 petitioned the United States Supreme Court to reverse President Joe Biden's electoral win over Donald Trump.

Paxton is only the third sitting official to be impeached in Texas' almost 200-year history.

After several members of his own party voted to impeach him, Paxton, 60, condemned the decision. His office cited internal investigations that found no misconduct.

"The ugly spectacle in the Texas House today confirmed the outrageous impeachment plot against me was never meant to be fair or just," he said, claiming that "it was a politically motivated sham from the beginning."

It is noteworthy that for years, Paxton has been under FBI investigation on allegations that he exploited his authority to assist a donor. He was separately charged with securities fraud in 2015, but he has yet to stand trial.

"No one person should be above the law, least not the top law enforcement officer of the state of Texas," David Spiller, a Republican member of the committee that investigated Paxton, stressed in opening statements.

Another Republican committee member, Charlie Geren, alleged that Paxton had called some lawmakers prior to the vote and threatened them with political "consequences".

Lawmakers supporting Paxton attempted to challenge the investigation by claiming that hired investigators interviewed witnesses rather than panel members and that they didn't have enough time to go over the facts.

Prior to the vote, Tony Tinderholt, one of the House’s most conservative members, said, "I perceive it could be political weaponization."

Paxton's final removal would take a two-thirds majority in the Senate, where his wife, Angela, is a member.

Before the Saturday vote, both Trump and Senator Ted Cruz defended Paxton, with the latter describing the impeachment a "travesty" and arguing that the attorney general's legal problems should be resolved through the courts.

On his social media network Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Free Ken Paxton." threatening House Republicans that "I will fight you" in case they pursued Paxton's impeachment.

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