Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been acquitted of corruption charges, marking the conclusion of an impeachment process that created divisions among the Republicans who govern the state of Texas.

Paxton, an ally of former President Donald Trump, can now resume his duties in elected office after being suspended in May. In response to his acquittal, Paxton remarked, "The truth could not be obscured by the mudslinging of politicians or their influential supporters."

He was cleared of all 16 charges in a vote conducted in the state Senate.

In May, more than 60 Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives defied party lines to impeach the state's highest-ranking legal official. The charges against him included allegations of corruption, obstruction of justice, bribery, and abuse of public trust.

However, in the state's Senate, which is also predominantly Republican, only two Republicans voted in favor of his removal from office on any of the charges.

The charges against Paxton were linked to favors he was purportedly involved in granting to a Texas real estate developer, the alleged use of public funds to retaliate against whistleblowers on his staff and conceal their accusations, as well as benefits he directed to a woman with whom he was engaged in an extramarital affair.
The attorney general has always denied any wrongdoing and called the impeachment a "politically-motivated sham".

Mr. Paxton is one of Donald Trump's most ardent supporters in Texas, supporting the former president's unsuccessful attempts to challenge his 2020 election defeat.

The impeachment divided the Republican Party between a pro-Trump faction and more traditional conservatives.

Shortly after the attorney general was impeached, Mr. Trump posted "free Ken Paxton" on his social media site Truth Social and called the effort "election interference" by "radical left Democrats", criminals, and insufficiently loyal Republicans.

More than 100 witnesses were scheduled to testify, including some close associates of Mr Paxton who accused him of wrongdoing.

He still faces state charges for securities fraud, in a case that goes back to shortly after he won office eight years ago. The FBI has probed the same allegations.

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