Convenience Big Store: A Paxton donor helped the Attorney General cover up an affair, new filing claims

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The mysterious 'Dave P.'

If you thought the impeachment saga of Texas' sort-of current Attorney General Ken Paxton couldn't get any more salacious, you would be wrong.

The House Impeachment managers alleged in a Wednesday legal filing that Paxton's donor/buddy, the real estate developer Nate Paul, created a secret Uber account that Paxton used to conceal trips to see the woman with whom he allegedly was having an affair in 2020.

The filings were in response to a request by Paxton's legal team to dismiss the articles of impeachment, based on the argument that the public was aware of the misconduct allegations against Paxton and elected him anyway. House impeachment managers say the public did not know the full scope of Paxton's alleged wrongdoing, and included the Uber details as evidence that he "covered his tracks so he could help Nate Paul."

"Paxton's denials, half truths, and downright lies enabled him to conceal the truth from the public," the managers wrote. "Now is the time for trial to proceed."

The filing says Paxton made upwards of a dozen trips to see the Austin-based woman between August and October of 2020 and the account was created under the pseudonym "Dave P."

It did not include information on whether or not Paxton donned a fake mustache and glasses on the alleged trips.

Edward McKinley, state government reporter

edward.mckinley@houstonchronicle.com

Who's up, who's down

Up: Math scores.

Math scores for grades 3 through 8 for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness increased slightly, with 43 percent meeting grade level compared to 40 percent last year, although those numbers are still down from the pre-COVID rate of 50 percent in 2019. We've got you covered with roundups of how schools did in San Antonio and in Houston.

Down: Houston ISD.

Unless you actually are a Walmart on Black Friday, it's generally not a good thing to be compared to a Walmart on Black Friday. That may be especially true when you're running a professional development conference for teachers, which presumably is normally a more low-key affair, or if you're hoping to demonstrate stability and competence during a state takeover of Texas' largest school district.

What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.

What else is going on in Texas

Construction on Loop 610 at Westpark is shown Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Houston.

Photo by: Melissa Phillip, Staff Photographer

Texas officials approve record $100B road spending plan

For the first time, the state plans to spend an average of $10 billion annually for the next decade solely on widening, rebuilding, maintaining highways

FILE - A patient prepares to take the first of two combination pills, mifepristone, for a medication abortion during a visit to a clinic in Kansas City, Kan., on, Oct. 12, 2022. New restrictions on access to the drug used in the most common form of abortion would be imposed under a federal appeals court ruling issued Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, but the Supreme Court will have the final say.

Photo by: Charlie Riedel, AP

Appeals court upholds abortion pill restrictions

New restrictions on access to a drug used in the most common form of abortion would be imposed under a federal appeals court ruling.

TThe deadliest conflict ever on Texas soil, the Battle of Medina, claimed about 1,000 lives south of San Antonio on Aug. 18, 1813. The location of its main engagement between local rebels and Spanish royalists has long been disputed, but the American Veterans Archaeological Recovery group believes it's found evidence of the site on undisclosed private property in southern Bexar County, and former city archaeologist Kay Hindes has endorsed the discovery.

Photo by: Carlos Javier Sanchez/pixelreflex Media

New clues unearthed on deadliest military clash in Texas history

Researchers believe they're close to discovering the site of the 1813 Battle of Medina and understanding its role in shaping a path toward Texas independence.

Lesley Briones, Commissioner Precinct 4, left, Tom Ramsey, Commissioner Precinct 3, County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Adrian Garcia, Commissioner Precinct 2, and Rodney Ellis, Commissioner Precinct 1, right, are shown during Commissioners Court, 1001 Preston St., Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Houston.

Photo by: Melissa Phillip, Staff Photographer

Harris County kicks off annual budget process with $2.4B proposal

The proposed budget includes the highest ever cost-of-living adjustment for civilian employees, three additional district criminal courts to further reduce the criminal courts' backlog, and the expansion of the HART program that responds to some nonviolent 911 calls with mental health and social work professionals.

Pick of the day

A kayaker approaches large buoys being used as a floating border barrier on the Rio Grande Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Photo by: Eric Gay/Associated Press

Gov. Greg Abbott has spoken a lot about the need to "defend our borders," "protect our borders" and "secure our borders," but it turns out he may actually be the one infringing on Mexico's border. A survey by the International Boundary and Water Commission, a governmental body that oversees the boundary between the U.S. and Mexico, determined that Abbott's border buoys are mostly in the Mexican territory of the Rio Grande, despite Texas' claims to the contrary,

What else I'm reading

Fort Worth libraries are closing for two weeks as more than 100 books are being challenged for containing sexual content, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.