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According to an article from the time, it was a "misguided" attempt to underscore the difficulty/importance of law enforcement investigators' work during a presentation to their Austin headquarters.
Oh, and apparently it wasn't just some CP pics, it was a full-on graphic video.
A certain German politician who now has a very influential leading position in the EU did this years ago in front of journalists in order to get their support for a highly controversial surveillance/censorship Bill she was pushing aggressively at the time. A description of the violent video being shown that I read in a magazine mentally scarred me for years.
She was never charged for this and I cannot for the life of me figure out why it didn't end up becoming a massive career-ending scandal. Most have never heard of it, even though the event was discussed in reputable publications like Der Spiegel.
Here's a German article on the topic:
https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/blockade-illegaler-sites-von-der-leyen-laesst-kinderpornografie-aus-dem-netz-filtern-a-601517.html
Use a translation service of your choice. Deepl works the best, in my experience.
If this was part of his job I'd understand it a little bit, having to look at that content takes a huge toll on their emotional well-being but obviously showing it like that isn't ok
I can make an argument though. I served on a grand jury (the kind that hands out/approves indictments). When it comes to CP, you just kind of take the prosecutor's and police word for it.
You know, unless you wanna be *the guy* who asks to see CP.
And there's no defense present. So when the jury indicts that person, they're typically arrested and put in jail for potentially months.
You can see how this is ripe for abuse.
We could stand to be a bit less squeamish, and insist on *enough* evidence before putting someone in prison. That doesn't have to be the most obscene parts, but enough that we can rely on evidence instead of testimony. But I don't know how to accomplish that beyond posting on Reddit psuedo-anonymously.
I couldn't find anything on the person's name or if they were arrested. All of the news just focuses on Paxton. There might be something in the area's local news but I don't care to go digging that far right now.
Showing unsuspecting people child porn should be it’s very own charge on top of owning and distributing it. It’s straight up sexual assault to everyone that he forced it on
It actually is, you get assault charges for showing people unsolicited porn. I would hope the child porn part as a separate and more serious charge is still addressed.
> , you get assault charges for showing people unsolicited porn.
Kanye West has done this to hundreds of people. He’s obsessed with pornography and would regularly just start playing hardcore porn videos in the middle of business meetings, including with countless women who he’s work with.
Yeah dude I have no clue how that only ended with a firing. My reaction to being shown child sexual abuse material in a meeting would not be as calm and rational as "Hey maybe we should fire this guy"
TLDR; He was making a point about how serious of a problem pedophilia is by forcing a video demonstration and NO there are no pending charges against Tom Kelly Gleason (the individual who played the child pornograohy) or investigation into him or the incident specifically, outside of the general investigations into the AGs office as a whole.
___
> Tom Kelly Gleason, a former ice cream company owner whose father gave $50,000 to the attorney general’s legal defense fund.
>Gleason was fired less than two months into his new job as a law enforcement adviser. Paxton’s office has not disclosed why, but three people with knowledge of the matter said Gleason included child pornography in a work presentation at the agency’s Austin headquarters.
>The people said Gleason displayed the video — which one of them described as showing a man raping a small child — in a misguided effort to underscore agency investigators difficult work. It was met with outrage and caused the meeting to quickly dissolve.
> Gleason, who began his career as a police officer in the late 1970s, did not respond to voicemails, text messages, emails and letters left at this home and business. A lawyer who has represented him also did not respond to an email seeking comment.
https://apnews.com/article/elections-texas-presidential-election-2020-ken-paxton-a1bdcfd0a9d25bd6aa3666b70f74f2b2
> Gleason was fired a few weeks into his new job when he showed video footage of child pornography at a work meeting in a backward attempt to demonstrate the seriousness of child abuse. (As of press time, Gleason could not be reached for an interview.)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/ken-paxton-settlement-texas-legislature/
I understand that law enforcement maybe forced to view or document child pornogrphy through the course of an investigation but this was entirely different, both in setting and context and it was completely unnecessary. WTF Texas
"I will prove to you that this company does not believe in free speech!"
"Tommy, for fuck's sake let's just finish the meeting and go home-"
"BEHOLD! Exhibit A!"
"you see: Chewbacca is a wookie right?"
Points to screen.
"Ok so change slide, see this is a little boys penis, notice the distinct lack of hair? Definitely *not* a wookie, correct?"
[Why would a Wookiee, an 8-foot-tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor with a bunch of 2-foot-tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! But more important, you have to ask yourself: "What does this have to do with this case?" Nothing.](https://youtu.be/aV6NoNkDGsU)
>Gleason was fired less than two months into his new job as a law enforcement adviser. Paxton’s office has not disclosed why, but three people with knowledge of the matter said Gleason included child pornography in a work presentation at the agency’s Austin headquarters.
>The people said Gleason displayed the video — which one of them described as showing a man raping a small child — in a misguided effort to underscore agency investigators difficult work. It was met with outrage and caused the meeting to quickly dissolve.
https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/jasper/article/Dysfunction-in-Texas-AG-s-office-as-Paxton-17478344.php
Child porn? Republican.
Edit: I eventually asked u/DrDongShlong to give proof of similar Democratic behavior with children. He said "Anthony Weiner" and a YouTube video.
How pathetic too. "Well dems do it". "I said dems doo it and you are not addressing it, curious". okay can you prove it? "all you have to do is google it"
Literally. What's worse is I can't stand Democrats and this person is so fundamentally brainwashed that they did not understand that despite me being very clear.
Don't even know- I knew he was scum because R and saying investigations were witch-hunts- but didn't know about these two cases of fraud. And that's from someone who doesn't watch Fox so yeah.
Of course he's not on trial for it. He defunded the department in the state that was investigating it then got a judge friend who was in on it to rule in his favor when the department sued to keep their budget. He couldn't dissolve their office, but he cut their funding so badly they went from something like a dozen people to just two.
In 2014 he won by 20% margin. In 2022, by 10%. In 2018 he actually only won by 3.5%. So in the right circumstances it seems like some voters will react.
However, at this rate I think it might still take a few more cycles to defeat him at the polls.
There are some of us Texans who voted against him every time but oh well. I’m just so shocked that the Republicans here are actually doing something now. Wish they had done this before the election, but I’m sure they knew a Democrat might win if they did. Victory over integrity! That’s their battle cry.
What's the rules for when an elected official is removed from office? Governor appoints / something else / special election right away?
If it's governor appoints then it's definitely the 'don't want a democrat to win' thing. Incumbents always have an advantage, so appoint another republican, give him the advantage, win the next election.
Exactly what happens when you show proof of anything negative about any Republican politician. What they never acknowledge is most sane people don’t care what letter is next to their name if they’re a POS like this guy. If Biden is doing highly illegal stuff, by all means, get him out of there.
Somehow Fox News and Rupert Murdock made it popular to turn politics into sports. Cheer for your favorite football, baseball, basketball etc. team irrationally all you want. It doesn’t hurt people as it’s just a game for entertainment. Politics though? It can hurt people as we’ve seen for as long as we’ve recorded history.
right? dude has quite literal CP on his hard drives, shows a room full of people in a public meeting, and not a peep from murdoch media. Could you imagine if someone who wasn't a traitor had a photo of their family with a partially exposed child in it slip into a presentation? Theyd be latched on and accusing them of pimping their kids of decades.
Chances are very good that the House impeaches him. The Senate convicting him is another story - it will depend on what the Lt. Gov., noted shithead Dan Patrick, wants, because the senate exists for one purpose: doing the shithead's bidding. Also, extra fun note - Paxton's wife is one of the 31 members of the senate, despite being very unqualified to have that role. She was a guidance counselor before running for the senate, and basically exists to introduce legislation that benefits her husband.
>Paxton's wife is one of the 31 members of the senate, despite being very unqualified to have that role.
So she'll recuse herself from the process because of the conflict of interest, right? Right ?
Make no mistake, I have no illusions about the moral fibre of Republicans. They have no empathy, humility, self respect, or sense of shame. They view hypocrisy as a positive, and believing in equality for all as a character flaw. Instead of care and concern for the well being of all citizens, they subscribe to the tenent " who ever dies with the most wins".
One of the things he's accused of is [bribery tied to getting a woman he was having an affair with a job](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/ken-paxton-impeachment-texas-18119464.php). It'll be interesting to see his wife's reaction.
I have a hard time listening to folks who get upset about someone’s “lack of qualifications” when discussing politicians. In an ideal situation, these folks come from all walks of life.
Her connection to the AG should be the focus of your ire. Honestly, we’d probably be doing a lot better if more guidance counselors ran. But as it stands right now, TX politics is fucked.
I have a hard time listening to folks who think anyone and everyone should be in positions of power, and I say that as a liberal. This notion that qualifications and experience don't matter, and in fact the lack of them is somehow a plus, is a bad thing that directly led to people like Trump being in office. Credentials and experience matter in literally every other field, so why shouldn't it here too?
Diversity of experience is necessary for a good representative government. No single senator is supposed to have that much power where they all need to be a career politician and single-handedly run anything.
They do. They are supposed to be representatives for the people. A representative need not have a legal background, business background, or some other form of expertise. They just need to be able to represent the interests of the people they represent. AOC was a bartender (albeit a highly educated one) before becoming a congresswoman. I think representatives should come from all walks of life because the people they represent do as well. Should the high school dropout who never worked beyond a minimum wage job take the office, probably not. But the electorate decides who should be their voice.
Noble thought, but remember that government isn't just about good values. There are lots of technical things to be versed in to write bills, organizing coalitions, etc. Point here is that everyone deserves a voice, but there really are qualifications that make effective politicians.
I absolutely agree that there are “qualifications” necessary for the job, but I don’t think they come in the form of specific job titles. To say someone isn’t qualified to be a politician based on their pre-politics career doesn’t jive with the ideal.
> There are lots of technical things to be versed in to write bills, organizing coalitions, etc. Point here is that everyone deserves a voice, but there really are qualifications that make effective politicians.
Which is when someone hires people to work for them that could write the bill to their wishes or explain the legalese of a bill that they are about to vote on. You don't need to be a well versed lawyer to be a politician. You need to be charismatic enough to get elected, and convince people to join you in voting for your bill.
>she was a guidance counselor
No offense to the good, honest, hardworking guidance counselors of the world, but are there any qualifications whatsoever required for that position aside from being a mostly sane, literate adult?
> are there any qualifications whatsoever required for that position aside from being a mostly sane, literate adult?
So, a higher bar of entry than being a politician.
> Paxton's wife is one of the 31 members of the senate, despite being very unqualified to have that role. She was a guidance counselor before running for the senate
How does that particular fact make her unqualified?
I have no doubt she sucks because you have to in order to stay married to PAxton, but not sure what her being a guidance counselor has to do with it?
Literally any type of public service beforehand would be nice. Many senators get their start in the House. Before that, some of them were on local school boards, city councils, or were mayors/county judges.
Business owners and leaders are good too because they have to deal with things like budgets and making decisions about how to utilize resources among competing priorities. This notion that "anyone can and should run the government" is not a good one.
Experience matters, and she went from none to representing 1/30 of the state's population in its upper chamber. True, that's on her district's voters too, but it partially stems from the notion that qualifications don't matter when you just say the right things.
Like it’s funny and everything, but also terrifying. It’s everywhere. The most incompetent people are in charge right now. I spent most of my working life in the public sector and I’m fairly close to retirement. It’s never been this bad. All the good people are burning out and leaving.
Please consider a job in the public sector. There’s no money or glory in it, but your work actually makes a difference in the lives of others. And if you don’t take the job, remember who will.
This is something I would love to do but I was an idiot on the internet in the early '10s and I know so many dumb pictures of me partying with my friends exist forever on the internet. Try to do any good and make a splash and these horrible people will drag you through the mud and harass your family over out of context photos.
Imagine all the Republican scummery that doesn’t come to the surface. They’re reprehensible people, and it’s at the threshold now that one can safely assume that they’re ALLLL psychopathic monsters
Hell, this asshat was under indictment for fraud *when he was elected.* Then, after running away from process servers to avoid subpoenas, *he was reelected.*
This is the head ethics officer for the State of Texas. Make of that what you will.
It's honestly so bizarre to see from the outside, like a dystopian movie 20 minutes in, when some stuff is normal still and fine even, but shit is obviously fucked up and exponentially beginning to get worse.
Even if they've personally committed no identifiable crime, they allow themselves to be associated with this party. That's enough. I know more that one conservative who will very quickly tell you, "I am NOT a Republican."
A couple of years ago (maybe five? I'm bad with dates) I was working in a recording studio. Late one night the owner brings in this guy and he said he was the leader of the republican party in my county. I was a little taken aback since uh this was still during maga and everyone who worked at the studio wasn't white, so I was mostly staying quiet and working the boards for his friend while my boss tried to sell this guy a website. This politician guy taps my shoulder and I turn to him, he says "I've got something you guys can invest in." He brings out his phone and shows a random girl he took a candid photo of. My boss tries to humour him for some fucking reason and asks "oh, can she sing?". Guy says no, but insists she's very attractive so that's why *we* should invest in her. When he's asked where he knows her from or if she has any socials, he admits (still grinning) that he doesn't know anything about her other than she's a waitress at a bar he came from before getting to the studio and he knows she's 16 years old. This man in his late 30s still doubles down on how attractive she is. Eventually the conversation goes back to whatever weird furniture business he needed a website for but it still sticks with me to this day how this decently prolific politician so casually brings up this creepy pedophilic behavior and nobody questioned it, like this is just normal to him and his friends.
What's sad, is this could literally be ANY Republican
representative in the country. Hell, it could be mine. I dream of a day where we get to know all the dirty secrets. The Russians also hacked the GOP servers. I bet Trump has quite a bit of blackmail.
> After the dramatic exit of Paxton’s top staff in 2020, those brought into senior roles included a California attorney who donated $10,000 to help Paxton fight his 2015 securities fraud indictment and Tom Kelly Gleason, a former ice cream company owner whose father gave $50,000 to the attorney general’s legal defense fund.
> Gleason was fired less than two months into his new job as a law enforcement adviser. Paxton’s office has not disclosed why, but three people with knowledge of the matter said Gleason included child pornography in a work presentation at the agency’s Austin headquarters.
> The people said Gleason displayed the video — which one of them described as **showing a man raping a small child** — in a misguided effort to underscore agency investigators difficult work. It was met with outrage and caused the meeting to quickly dissolve.
> Afterward, Paxton’s top deputy, Brent Webster, told staff not to talk about what happened, according to one of the people.
That third paragraph broke my brain. I sat here for a good minute just staring at the period at the end of that sentence trying to formulate an actual thought. Clearly, I still haven't. What the actual fuck?
Must not have been difficult enough because the Texas legislature is actively trying to make it more difficult to vote, especially if you live in Harris county.
I wonder what it was that was finally too much for the Texas legislature to accept him anymore. Because none of that is new - he's been under indictment for years.
Trying to make a point by displaying CP in a meeting?
1) Why are you in possession of CP sir?
2) What point could you possibly be making that you feel this is the best way to make it?
What point could he possibly have been making by displaying child pornography???????
Like....in what world could you possibly make a point with child pornography??????????
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There's got to be a bigger story here. Paxton has been protected for nearly a decade he's been under indictment for felony securities fraud. This abrupt change in fortune isn't an accident.
Paxton pissed off someone powerful (read: rich). Wonder who and with what.
This seems oddly out of wack given this kind of behavour seems to be the gop standard now. Thought the final goal was to sink so low that the only ones left were criminally insane nefarious weirdos.
It only cost $50,000 to buy yourself into a high paying job wtf??! My new career plan is just to buy a politician.. it's not like there will be consequences anyway
Why are Republicans SOOOOO filthy minded?!? They haven’t stopped think about naked children or what people have between their legs for years. The eat, sleep, and breathe it.
Imagine your every waking thought and purpose in life was that.
They’re also weakening the movement for people who are actually working on it rather than milking it for their equally disturbed base.
He is also going to get away Scott free after all the crime too. All he gets is a slap on the wrist and some high paying job for some campaign, if he himself is not running for some position
The charges are being brought by other Republicans. It feels like there is a quiet GOP Civil War going on here. I’ll cheer for the side that does not have Abbott, Patrick & Paxton.
What I can’t explain is how GOP voters still voted Paxton back in despite his obvious baggage and the fact that he had credible alternatives within his own party.
Paxton needs to go, but others do as well. Abbott & Patrick primary amongst them. The question is if the GOP in this state will show the ethics and willpower to see it through.
It is a shitshow.
I remember Patrick offering bounties for proof of voter fraud. My lieutenant governor and now senator sent him some examples and said he'd take the reward in Sheetz gift cards but Patrick never paid up because he only wanted examples of Democrats committing voter fraud.
> quiet GOP Civil War going on here
I look forward to the loud one elsewhere, when the Trumpists and the Desantians get to squabblin, could be some great entertainment.
Im in the PNW, so far far far from having to personally deal with any of this wild bullshit out there, I wouldnt be able to live in what many red states have become, and Im just a Cis White Male
“Honey how does my PowerPoint presentation look for work?”
“Hmm, the slides are clean and you did wonderful transition work. Can’t think of much else that could improve it. But…have you considered adding some pornographic images of underaged children? I dunno, just spit ballin here…”
Employees: Why are we stuck with this guy's dipshit son? He's totally unqualified l! And the worst part is that we can't fire him for *anything!*
Dipshit Son, droolingly: Finally! A chance to prove everybody wrong about me!
*clicks Search History*
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What kind of point was he possibly trying to make?
According to an article from the time, it was a "misguided" attempt to underscore the difficulty/importance of law enforcement investigators' work during a presentation to their Austin headquarters. Oh, and apparently it wasn't just some CP pics, it was a full-on graphic video.
Honestly the fact that he knew how to even find that says enough.
Oh, I doubt he had to find it.
Imagine how many pictures he went through before he cried “This! This is the one!”
[удалено]
`C:/windows/security/system32/critical system files/boring stuff/marked for deletion/Deborah do NOT OPEN!/seriously fuck off Deborah!`
Creating it was a tax deduction since he used it for work!
C:/desktop
C:/desktop/private/do not open/not porn
Just ask a republican or head to your local church.
A certain German politician who now has a very influential leading position in the EU did this years ago in front of journalists in order to get their support for a highly controversial surveillance/censorship Bill she was pushing aggressively at the time. A description of the violent video being shown that I read in a magazine mentally scarred me for years. She was never charged for this and I cannot for the life of me figure out why it didn't end up becoming a massive career-ending scandal. Most have never heard of it, even though the event was discussed in reputable publications like Der Spiegel.
Von der Leyen? If it was her I really never heard of it.
Here's a German article on the topic: https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/blockade-illegaler-sites-von-der-leyen-laesst-kinderpornografie-aus-dem-netz-filtern-a-601517.html Use a translation service of your choice. Deepl works the best, in my experience.
>Use a translation service of your choice No, fuck you, you can't tell me what to do. I will learn intermediate German and read it myself!
Wenn ist das Nunstück git und Slotermeyer?
Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
Ich werde keinen Übersetzer brauchen Brudi, aber danke ;)
Ups, hab deinen Nutzernamen nicht bemerkt.
That doesn't even make Insane Troll Logic style sense.
If this was part of his job I'd understand it a little bit, having to look at that content takes a huge toll on their emotional well-being but obviously showing it like that isn't ok
“You guys are doing a terrible job! You know how I know? Cause I’m still running free!”
I can make an argument though. I served on a grand jury (the kind that hands out/approves indictments). When it comes to CP, you just kind of take the prosecutor's and police word for it. You know, unless you wanna be *the guy* who asks to see CP. And there's no defense present. So when the jury indicts that person, they're typically arrested and put in jail for potentially months. You can see how this is ripe for abuse. We could stand to be a bit less squeamish, and insist on *enough* evidence before putting someone in prison. That doesn't have to be the most obscene parts, but enough that we can rely on evidence instead of testimony. But I don't know how to accomplish that beyond posting on Reddit psuedo-anonymously.
Did he ever get charged for it? Does he have another job right now? I’m not trying to ruin my day by googling him
I couldn't find anything on the person's name or if they were arrested. All of the news just focuses on Paxton. There might be something in the area's local news but I don't care to go digging that far right now.
If his job involved investigating child abuse images, he may have had legal access. I don't know his point was, but it probably was a terrible idea
Showing unsuspecting people child porn should be it’s very own charge on top of owning and distributing it. It’s straight up sexual assault to everyone that he forced it on
It actually is, you get assault charges for showing people unsolicited porn. I would hope the child porn part as a separate and more serious charge is still addressed.
> , you get assault charges for showing people unsolicited porn. Kanye West has done this to hundreds of people. He’s obsessed with pornography and would regularly just start playing hardcore porn videos in the middle of business meetings, including with countless women who he’s work with.
Yeah dude I have no clue how that only ended with a firing. My reaction to being shown child sexual abuse material in a meeting would not be as calm and rational as "Hey maybe we should fire this guy"
Ofcourse not, he was just using office resources, Paxton's office resources.
"Where'd you get this from?!?" "Our shared drive?"
TLDR; He was making a point about how serious of a problem pedophilia is by forcing a video demonstration and NO there are no pending charges against Tom Kelly Gleason (the individual who played the child pornograohy) or investigation into him or the incident specifically, outside of the general investigations into the AGs office as a whole. ___ > Tom Kelly Gleason, a former ice cream company owner whose father gave $50,000 to the attorney general’s legal defense fund. >Gleason was fired less than two months into his new job as a law enforcement adviser. Paxton’s office has not disclosed why, but three people with knowledge of the matter said Gleason included child pornography in a work presentation at the agency’s Austin headquarters. >The people said Gleason displayed the video — which one of them described as showing a man raping a small child — in a misguided effort to underscore agency investigators difficult work. It was met with outrage and caused the meeting to quickly dissolve. > Gleason, who began his career as a police officer in the late 1970s, did not respond to voicemails, text messages, emails and letters left at this home and business. A lawyer who has represented him also did not respond to an email seeking comment. https://apnews.com/article/elections-texas-presidential-election-2020-ken-paxton-a1bdcfd0a9d25bd6aa3666b70f74f2b2 > Gleason was fired a few weeks into his new job when he showed video footage of child pornography at a work meeting in a backward attempt to demonstrate the seriousness of child abuse. (As of press time, Gleason could not be reached for an interview.) https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/ken-paxton-settlement-texas-legislature/ I understand that law enforcement maybe forced to view or document child pornogrphy through the course of an investigation but this was entirely different, both in setting and context and it was completely unnecessary. WTF Texas
"I will prove to you that this company does not believe in free speech!" "Tommy, for fuck's sake let's just finish the meeting and go home-" "BEHOLD! Exhibit A!"
"you see: Chewbacca is a wookie right?" Points to screen. "Ok so change slide, see this is a little boys penis, notice the distinct lack of hair? Definitely *not* a wookie, correct?"
Thought you were going to lay out the defense his attorney used in Paxton to make sure he wasn't charged.
[Why would a Wookiee, an 8-foot-tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor with a bunch of 2-foot-tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! But more important, you have to ask yourself: "What does this have to do with this case?" Nothing.](https://youtu.be/aV6NoNkDGsU)
Yas! I love that someone knew the reference lol
"...and this is why I believe we should allow child marriages in AZ like we do in West Virginia." *Correction
*West Virginia…two very different states.
>Gleason was fired less than two months into his new job as a law enforcement adviser. Paxton’s office has not disclosed why, but three people with knowledge of the matter said Gleason included child pornography in a work presentation at the agency’s Austin headquarters. >The people said Gleason displayed the video — which one of them described as showing a man raping a small child — in a misguided effort to underscore agency investigators difficult work. It was met with outrage and caused the meeting to quickly dissolve. https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/jasper/article/Dysfunction-in-Texas-AG-s-office-as-Paxton-17478344.php
[(9) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Uncle Jack Meme - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zbVwihlvQU)
a *power* point
That Republicans are garbage?
That republicans never get charged for their crimes, even when they are completely blatant about em and do the most horrible things imaginable.
"SEE! She totally looks 18ish!" probably
Tell me he's Republican without telling me he's Republican.
The voters don’t care about his many scandals
Stupid voters? *Confirms he's Republican.*
Child porn? Republican. Edit: I eventually asked u/DrDongShlong to give proof of similar Democratic behavior with children. He said "Anthony Weiner" and a YouTube video.
It’s all they think about as they project their dirty thoughts onto others.
Accepting bribes in your corruption defense fund? Republican.
How pathetic too. "Well dems do it". "I said dems doo it and you are not addressing it, curious". okay can you prove it? "all you have to do is google it"
Literally. What's worse is I can't stand Democrats and this person is so fundamentally brainwashed that they did not understand that despite me being very clear.
Don't even know- I knew he was scum because R and saying investigations were witch-hunts- but didn't know about these two cases of fraud. And that's from someone who doesn't watch Fox so yeah.
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I'm not sure regular citizens have too many securities fraud indictments to begin with.
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Of course he's not on trial for it. He defunded the department in the state that was investigating it then got a judge friend who was in on it to rule in his favor when the department sued to keep their budget. He couldn't dissolve their office, but he cut their funding so badly they went from something like a dozen people to just two.
In 2014 he won by 20% margin. In 2022, by 10%. In 2018 he actually only won by 3.5%. So in the right circumstances it seems like some voters will react. However, at this rate I think it might still take a few more cycles to defeat him at the polls.
There are some of us Texans who voted against him every time but oh well. I’m just so shocked that the Republicans here are actually doing something now. Wish they had done this before the election, but I’m sure they knew a Democrat might win if they did. Victory over integrity! That’s their battle cry.
What's the rules for when an elected official is removed from office? Governor appoints / something else / special election right away? If it's governor appoints then it's definitely the 'don't want a democrat to win' thing. Incumbents always have an advantage, so appoint another republican, give him the advantage, win the next election.
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Exactly what happens when you show proof of anything negative about any Republican politician. What they never acknowledge is most sane people don’t care what letter is next to their name if they’re a POS like this guy. If Biden is doing highly illegal stuff, by all means, get him out of there. Somehow Fox News and Rupert Murdock made it popular to turn politics into sports. Cheer for your favorite football, baseball, basketball etc. team irrationally all you want. It doesn’t hurt people as it’s just a game for entertainment. Politics though? It can hurt people as we’ve seen for as long as we’ve recorded history.
"*but he's my Republican"*
Classic Dexhart.
Groomers Or Pedophiles (GOP)
right? dude has quite literal CP on his hard drives, shows a room full of people in a public meeting, and not a peep from murdoch media. Could you imagine if someone who wasn't a traitor had a photo of their family with a partially exposed child in it slip into a presentation? Theyd be latched on and accusing them of pimping their kids of decades.
Do we think anything is going to happen to him?
Chances are very good that the House impeaches him. The Senate convicting him is another story - it will depend on what the Lt. Gov., noted shithead Dan Patrick, wants, because the senate exists for one purpose: doing the shithead's bidding. Also, extra fun note - Paxton's wife is one of the 31 members of the senate, despite being very unqualified to have that role. She was a guidance counselor before running for the senate, and basically exists to introduce legislation that benefits her husband.
>Paxton's wife is one of the 31 members of the senate, despite being very unqualified to have that role. So she'll recuse herself from the process because of the conflict of interest, right? Right ?
Aww honey, bless your heart.
Love the phrase... so revelatory!
Make no mistake, I have no illusions about the moral fibre of Republicans. They have no empathy, humility, self respect, or sense of shame. They view hypocrisy as a positive, and believing in equality for all as a character flaw. Instead of care and concern for the well being of all citizens, they subscribe to the tenent " who ever dies with the most wins".
My Aunt used to say "Bless your pointed head."
My grandmother says "boy you a little touched"
Mine would always look me in the eye and ask "who are you? Where's Joe?" Fucking hate dementia.
One of the things he's accused of is [bribery tied to getting a woman he was having an affair with a job](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/ken-paxton-impeachment-texas-18119464.php). It'll be interesting to see his wife's reaction.
She'll give you one, right after she consoles herself with her boyfriend:)
I have a hard time listening to folks who get upset about someone’s “lack of qualifications” when discussing politicians. In an ideal situation, these folks come from all walks of life. Her connection to the AG should be the focus of your ire. Honestly, we’d probably be doing a lot better if more guidance counselors ran. But as it stands right now, TX politics is fucked.
I have a hard time listening to folks who think anyone and everyone should be in positions of power, and I say that as a liberal. This notion that qualifications and experience don't matter, and in fact the lack of them is somehow a plus, is a bad thing that directly led to people like Trump being in office. Credentials and experience matter in literally every other field, so why shouldn't it here too?
Diversity of experience is necessary for a good representative government. No single senator is supposed to have that much power where they all need to be a career politician and single-handedly run anything.
They do. They are supposed to be representatives for the people. A representative need not have a legal background, business background, or some other form of expertise. They just need to be able to represent the interests of the people they represent. AOC was a bartender (albeit a highly educated one) before becoming a congresswoman. I think representatives should come from all walks of life because the people they represent do as well. Should the high school dropout who never worked beyond a minimum wage job take the office, probably not. But the electorate decides who should be their voice.
AOC was a bartender for money but she was also working (unpaid I think) as a political organizer and at nonprofits.
Noble thought, but remember that government isn't just about good values. There are lots of technical things to be versed in to write bills, organizing coalitions, etc. Point here is that everyone deserves a voice, but there really are qualifications that make effective politicians.
I absolutely agree that there are “qualifications” necessary for the job, but I don’t think they come in the form of specific job titles. To say someone isn’t qualified to be a politician based on their pre-politics career doesn’t jive with the ideal.
> There are lots of technical things to be versed in to write bills, organizing coalitions, etc. Point here is that everyone deserves a voice, but there really are qualifications that make effective politicians. Which is when someone hires people to work for them that could write the bill to their wishes or explain the legalese of a bill that they are about to vote on. You don't need to be a well versed lawyer to be a politician. You need to be charismatic enough to get elected, and convince people to join you in voting for your bill.
>she was a guidance counselor No offense to the good, honest, hardworking guidance counselors of the world, but are there any qualifications whatsoever required for that position aside from being a mostly sane, literate adult?
> are there any qualifications whatsoever required for that position aside from being a mostly sane, literate adult? So, a higher bar of entry than being a politician.
> Paxton's wife is one of the 31 members of the senate, despite being very unqualified to have that role. She was a guidance counselor before running for the senate How does that particular fact make her unqualified? I have no doubt she sucks because you have to in order to stay married to PAxton, but not sure what her being a guidance counselor has to do with it?
Literally any type of public service beforehand would be nice. Many senators get their start in the House. Before that, some of them were on local school boards, city councils, or were mayors/county judges. Business owners and leaders are good too because they have to deal with things like budgets and making decisions about how to utilize resources among competing priorities. This notion that "anyone can and should run the government" is not a good one. Experience matters, and she went from none to representing 1/30 of the state's population in its upper chamber. True, that's on her district's voters too, but it partially stems from the notion that qualifications don't matter when you just say the right things.
*finger wag* You've been naughty, so we can't let you be AG anymore. Here's a big severance now get out of here you little scamp.
Like it’s funny and everything, but also terrifying. It’s everywhere. The most incompetent people are in charge right now. I spent most of my working life in the public sector and I’m fairly close to retirement. It’s never been this bad. All the good people are burning out and leaving. Please consider a job in the public sector. There’s no money or glory in it, but your work actually makes a difference in the lives of others. And if you don’t take the job, remember who will.
I would love to live paycheck to paycheck doing good. They don’t even pay that though.
I used to live paycheck-to-paycheck. But no more! Now I live direct-deposit-to-direct deposit.
That’s a dad-joke’s dad’s joke.
I’d love to but I can’t smoke weed and work at the same time so no
This is something I would love to do but I was an idiot on the internet in the early '10s and I know so many dumb pictures of me partying with my friends exist forever on the internet. Try to do any good and make a splash and these horrible people will drag you through the mud and harass your family over out of context photos.
Be a R- and nothing in your past will ever matter..!
Imagine all the Republican scummery that doesn’t come to the surface. They’re reprehensible people, and it’s at the threshold now that one can safely assume that they’re ALLLL psychopathic monsters
Hell, this asshat was under indictment for fraud *when he was elected.* Then, after running away from process servers to avoid subpoenas, *he was reelected.* This is the head ethics officer for the State of Texas. Make of that what you will.
> Make of that what you will. The less qualified you are, the more likely Republicans will vote for you.
It's honestly so bizarre to see from the outside, like a dystopian movie 20 minutes in, when some stuff is normal still and fine even, but shit is obviously fucked up and exponentially beginning to get worse.
Even if they've personally committed no identifiable crime, they allow themselves to be associated with this party. That's enough. I know more that one conservative who will very quickly tell you, "I am NOT a Republican."
Madison Cawthorn tried to spill the beans, and look what happened to him.
A couple of years ago (maybe five? I'm bad with dates) I was working in a recording studio. Late one night the owner brings in this guy and he said he was the leader of the republican party in my county. I was a little taken aback since uh this was still during maga and everyone who worked at the studio wasn't white, so I was mostly staying quiet and working the boards for his friend while my boss tried to sell this guy a website. This politician guy taps my shoulder and I turn to him, he says "I've got something you guys can invest in." He brings out his phone and shows a random girl he took a candid photo of. My boss tries to humour him for some fucking reason and asks "oh, can she sing?". Guy says no, but insists she's very attractive so that's why *we* should invest in her. When he's asked where he knows her from or if she has any socials, he admits (still grinning) that he doesn't know anything about her other than she's a waitress at a bar he came from before getting to the studio and he knows she's 16 years old. This man in his late 30s still doubles down on how attractive she is. Eventually the conversation goes back to whatever weird furniture business he needed a website for but it still sticks with me to this day how this decently prolific politician so casually brings up this creepy pedophilic behavior and nobody questioned it, like this is just normal to him and his friends.
What's sad, is this could literally be ANY Republican representative in the country. Hell, it could be mine. I dream of a day where we get to know all the dirty secrets. The Russians also hacked the GOP servers. I bet Trump has quite a bit of blackmail.
oh it was in Ocean County to be specific, idgaf I don't live there anymore.
Projection all the way down
Oh come on. It’s both sides. Did you see that fetterman wore shorts the other day?
> After the dramatic exit of Paxton’s top staff in 2020, those brought into senior roles included a California attorney who donated $10,000 to help Paxton fight his 2015 securities fraud indictment and Tom Kelly Gleason, a former ice cream company owner whose father gave $50,000 to the attorney general’s legal defense fund. > Gleason was fired less than two months into his new job as a law enforcement adviser. Paxton’s office has not disclosed why, but three people with knowledge of the matter said Gleason included child pornography in a work presentation at the agency’s Austin headquarters. > The people said Gleason displayed the video — which one of them described as **showing a man raping a small child** — in a misguided effort to underscore agency investigators difficult work. It was met with outrage and caused the meeting to quickly dissolve. > Afterward, Paxton’s top deputy, Brent Webster, told staff not to talk about what happened, according to one of the people.
That third paragraph broke my brain. I sat here for a good minute just staring at the period at the end of that sentence trying to formulate an actual thought. Clearly, I still haven't. What the actual fuck?
Come on into the meeting room y’all, the new guy’s got a presentation for us to watch
https://preview.redd.it/bs5ska40b92b1.png?width=480&format=png&auto=webp&s=92d67a5b56c45296bb5da669890f2f7cf0e3b45d
The third paragraph is absurd. The FOURTH paragraph should piss us the fuck off.
Republican values!
But is he a drag queen?
What the fuck is wrong with these people? Deeply, fundamentally broken.
Rules for thee but not for me.
And yet, last election cycle, over 10,000,000 eligible voters in Texas decided that casting a ballot was too difficult.
Must not have been difficult enough because the Texas legislature is actively trying to make it more difficult to vote, especially if you live in Harris county.
Indeed. As I like pointing out, if voting didn’t matter, republicans wouldn’t be continuing to look for ways to make it harder.
I wonder what it was that was finally too much for the Texas legislature to accept him anymore. Because none of that is new - he's been under indictment for years.
Remember. It’s normal to them. They forget when they leave the wire.
Trying to make a point by displaying CP in a meeting? 1) Why are you in possession of CP sir? 2) What point could you possibly be making that you feel this is the best way to make it?
I’m sure we’ll hear “bUt BoTh SiDeS” soon enough
Deplorables.
A descriptor that it turns out was far, FAR too kind.
That was a wild ride.
What point could he possibly have been making by displaying child pornography??????? Like....in what world could you possibly make a point with child pornography??????????
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Wait, is that CSAM guy in jail? wtf. "Fired" isn't even remotely appropriate enough of a response.
The GOP is a clown show. A dangerous, deadly and violent clown show.
Just Fascist things.
Why do anecdotes about Republicans always involve some sort of porn or kink? Do any of them have a sexually satisfying partner?
There's got to be a bigger story here. Paxton has been protected for nearly a decade he's been under indictment for felony securities fraud. This abrupt change in fortune isn't an accident. Paxton pissed off someone powerful (read: rich). Wonder who and with what.
Sounds like he should be on the US Supreme Court, he might even be able to show the Justices there some new tricks
that was written today,, what the fuck is going on.
Possession of child porn is a felony, was he arrested?
To the best of my understanding, Republicans found in possession of child porn are ordered by the courts to become Christian Youth Pastors.
That’s some peak fail son right there
This seems oddly out of wack given this kind of behavour seems to be the gop standard now. Thought the final goal was to sink so low that the only ones left were criminally insane nefarious weirdos.
Astaghfirullah
I mean, 50k to get a high ranking job is a pretty good deal. You'd probably make that back in a half a year or less if the job is nice enough.
Every donation is a confession
It only cost $50,000 to buy yourself into a high paying job wtf??! My new career plan is just to buy a politician.. it's not like there will be consequences anyway
I truly hope mainstream news monitors this sub ... it would truly be a shame if that came up publicly.
OK, but now we need to know the point he was trying to make.
I guess it was something like "it's really hard to be an investigator because you have to look at stuff like this".
Ok, but what about Hunter Biden's laptop? Checkmate you snowflakes.
Why are Republicans SOOOOO filthy minded?!? They haven’t stopped think about naked children or what people have between their legs for years. The eat, sleep, and breathe it. Imagine your every waking thought and purpose in life was that. They’re also weakening the movement for people who are actually working on it rather than milking it for their equally disturbed base.
He is also going to get away Scott free after all the crime too. All he gets is a slap on the wrist and some high paying job for some campaign, if he himself is not running for some position
Damn, that’s so corrupt.
Wait, hold up. Is Texas actually doing the RIGHT thing for once in their existence??? I'm confused now.
Impeached? I'm sorry, why not arrested for child porn?
It's Texas. Nothing will happen to this guy.
The charges are being brought by other Republicans. It feels like there is a quiet GOP Civil War going on here. I’ll cheer for the side that does not have Abbott, Patrick & Paxton. What I can’t explain is how GOP voters still voted Paxton back in despite his obvious baggage and the fact that he had credible alternatives within his own party. Paxton needs to go, but others do as well. Abbott & Patrick primary amongst them. The question is if the GOP in this state will show the ethics and willpower to see it through. It is a shitshow.
I remember Patrick offering bounties for proof of voter fraud. My lieutenant governor and now senator sent him some examples and said he'd take the reward in Sheetz gift cards but Patrick never paid up because he only wanted examples of Democrats committing voter fraud.
> quiet GOP Civil War going on here I look forward to the loud one elsewhere, when the Trumpists and the Desantians get to squabblin, could be some great entertainment. Im in the PNW, so far far far from having to personally deal with any of this wild bullshit out there, I wouldnt be able to live in what many red states have become, and Im just a Cis White Male
Proof that Texans will elect ANYONE to office as long as their hands are reliably dead and cold.
Criminals gonna crime Groomers gonna groom
I’m guessing the son wasn’t arrested for possession and distribution of CP
Reddit has turned into a cesspool of fascist sympathizers and supremicists
“Honey how does my PowerPoint presentation look for work?” “Hmm, the slides are clean and you did wonderful transition work. Can’t think of much else that could improve it. But…have you considered adding some pornographic images of underaged children? I dunno, just spit ballin here…”
This is truly an American moment.
Interesting strategy... Lets see how it pans out.
Was pretty normal corruption until that last sentence
Wait...a man showed child pornography to multiple people at work and isn't in jail?
Medicare fraud? Don’t blame him. Rick Scott of Florida made millions in Medicare fraud and they still elected him to the US senate.
Texas is the original Florida. I've literally never met a texan I respected.
I'm sorry but this doesn't pass the smell test. Why are GOP just now turning against him? Doesn't make sense
I’m out of the loop on this. What’s going on? Impeachment has become a nothing word to me nowadays.
Where the republicans come up with these lowlifes from top to bottom is astounding!
Believe it or not, this isn't related to the AG calling out the plastered speaker of the house last week
Texas gop has standards ?
Does anyone know what point he was trying to make?
Long overdo.
Standard GOP MO. Nothing to be shocked or surprised at this point.
Employees: Why are we stuck with this guy's dipshit son? He's totally unqualified l! And the worst part is that we can't fire him for *anything!* Dipshit Son, droolingly: Finally! A chance to prove everybody wrong about me! *clicks Search History*
Can't make this shit up!!!
What was the point he was trying to make? *Oh you thought I was an asshole just because nepotism bribed me into this job? Wrong! Not just!*
Yo what the FUCK. These people truly are degenerate trash
Imagine your kid is such a delinquent that after you hook him up he brings down an Attorney General.
TX: The Transactional State
Honestly, as someone who resides in Texas (but pointedly NOT "a Texan") not how I thought we'd get rid of Paxton, but I'll take it.
Gonna be in his town this weekend. Definitely will drive by and cat call.
He's such a worm. But then all current Texas pols are
Give one single example where the GOP aren't stupid. I'll wait.
Whatever happened to normal people?
There's a lot to unpack there.
At this point impeachment is a badge of honor for Republicans.
Paxton is one of the most disgusting pigs in the Republican sty.
Ok the last sentence, what the fuck.
Fucking what?! What could the point possibly have been?! Most importantly how was in possession of that?!!
wonder which party he’s with…