Talarico wants to unearth Paxton’s depositions to keep focus on opponent’s past in Texas Senate race

James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, is seeking to release depositions involving his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton. The purpose is to focus attention on Paxton's history of scandals. These depositions stem from a civil case in which Unity Resources, a mineral assets company, was accused of fraud. Paxton was associated with Unity but was not a defendant and the case was settled.

Talarico's campaign has requested a court on Wednesday to release these documents. Despite similar attempts in the past, the aim is to sway voters by highlighting Paxton's past missteps. Talarico's campaign has also released video footage of Paxton accepting an expensive pen at a courthouse security checkpoint and discussed Paxton's impeachment, though he was later acquitted.

Additionally, Talarico has mentioned criminal charges Paxton faced for securities fraud, which were ultimately settled with restitution payments and no admission of guilt. Paxton has consistently denied the allegations, labeling them as politically motivated smears. Paxton's campaign spokesperson, Madison Cercy, dismissed Talarico's request as an attempt to hide his extremism, stating that Texans would see through it.

The Wall Street Journal had previously reported on one deposition, alleging Paxton might have violated attorney-client privilege, a claim disputed by those involved. In the court filing, Talarico's lawyers argued there is no basis under Texas law or procedure to withhold these documents from the public, as doing so violates Texas's constitutional guarantee of public scrutiny in judicial proceedings.