Suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton embarked on a secretive 10-day trip to China in late 2019, raising concerns about potential Chinese Communist Party influence. The trip, facilitated by the Attorney General Alliance (AGA) and Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG), included meetings with government officials and business leaders, despite warnings from Paxton's staff. Accompanied by his wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, the attorney general visited Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Macau, enjoying lavish accommodations arranged by the AGA and CWAG.
During the trip, Paxton and other attending attorneys general, including both Republicans and Democrats, met with Chinese federal court officials, prosecutors, representatives from state-run China State Construction and Engineering, and executives from companies like Microsoft and Alibaba. The stated purpose of the trip was to discuss consumer protection, organized crime, and cybercrime, as well as combating counterfeit goods and intellectual property violations. However, critics have raised concerns about the AGA's funding model, which relies heavily on corporate contributions, potentially granting access to special interests.
This trip occurred before Paxton's impeachment by the Texas House in May 2023 on charges of abuse of power, obstruction of justice, bribery, and abuse of public trust. The impeachment resulted in Paxton's suspension pending a Senate trial. Neither Paxton nor his wife responded to requests for comment on this story.
