Senior attorney for the Group Booking a new suit on Abortion Access and other states is here. And later, believing in science for americas future. At a time when it rapidly tragic climate makes the topic more urgent than ever. This is american voices. We begin this hour breaking news and texas. Republicans in the state senate failed to help one of their own accountable. Voting to acquit Attorney General ken paxton and the pitchman trial. This is once again the story of gop leaders prioritizing loyalty to the party above all else. Impeachment articles accused paxton of misconduct, bribery, and corruption. Just two gop senators broke with their party to vote for conviction. Texas senator called out his republican colleagues lack of courage today on msnbc. What happened here wasnt a tossup, this was an easy bank shot. Every one of these republicans saw this evidence, they should have all voted for conviction. But the midpolitical choice rather than the expedient choice, rather than the hard petitions. Sometimes you have proof the consequences when its about integrity, when its about justice. Clearly there was no justice in texas today. This isnt just about texas. Donald trump, a campaign ally. He wasted no time encouragement paxton. Trump posted on social media, the texas House Speaker, a republican, should wasnt for, quote, pushing this disgraceful sham. As for paxton, it is back to work. The Austin Americanstatesman reports, the verdict reached so the day after a twoweek trial and the senate chamber, clear feet wait for apex didnt return to a position has brought national acclaim from the farright. Joining us now to discuss, nbc news correspondent priscilla thompson, tony plohetski, executed reporter, Investigative Reporter for the Austin American statesman, and Ruth Benghiat, professor of history at and like you. Shes the author of strongmen, from mussolini to the president. Priscilla, give us a rundown of how the vote went out and how the a. G. And his allies are responding to the acquittal . Alicia, we are seeing a lot of responses tonight. Ill start with what happens. The Gopcontrolled Senate handed down that verdict after hours of deliberation. As you mentioned, the votes largely fell on party lines, with the exception of those two republicans who joined democrats in voting guilty on a number of the 16 articles of impeachment, which include bribery, conspiracy, and disregard of official duties. And what folks may remember is that it was the republican controlled house here that originally voted to impeach. Clearly the republicans and the senate did not see it that way. Many of them saying, they felt like there wasnt enough evidence, this was rushed. But we also heard from the republican, from the house managers who led this investigation, say that were proud of the work they did. They stand by that work. And heres a little bit of what some of them had to say about what they witnessed today. The port of managers presented avoiding evidence that ken paxton is the most corrupt politician in the state of texas at this time. And the republicans in the texas senate just returned him to the office of top cop. I will rely on what i said to the texas house. God help us. And paxton and his attorneys were also responding. Paxton saying, and escarpment, the truth has prevailed and also saying, quote, the champagne corked about the bottom admonition with liberal House Speaker date failing end his Control Court has cost taxpayers millions of dollars, disrupt the work of the of of Attorney General, and if a dark and permanent state on the texas house. The weaponization of the Impeachment Process to settle political differences is not only wrong, it is immoral and corrupt. You mentioned, he is an ally of president trump. President trump congratulated him on truth social. And said this was a win. We are also hearing from paxton tonight, whos already promoting primary challenger to some of those senators who voted to impeach him. Alicia . Tony, you have ken paxtons air there this was all coordinated by the biden administration. So many of the people who stood up and testified and this case were republicans who had the republicans called into question. This trial remind us how we got here and how the trump serves as, ended up serving, as artist of gop loyalty. This actually all goes back to the fall of 2020. At the time, at number of whistleblowers, eight from ken paxtons office, and when i sit whistleblowers i want to explain what i made. We are talking about executive staff, who set at the righthand of ken paxton. They testified during this trial, during this tenday trial. And they told about joining his agency to help push ultraconservative christian values. They went to the fbi. They turned on him and october 2020, and said we believe, our boss, the Attorney General, is committing a number of crimes. Turning his office into, essentially, a law firm for one man. That mens and Austin Investor by the name of who by the, way was under fbi investigation himself at that time, and was subsequently charged with federal crimes over the summer. But ken paxton agreed to settle a claim with those whistleblowers for three point 3 million. He took that path to texas lawmakers earlier this year and the texas house, Lawmakers Said if we plan to settle this with tech spirit dollars, we must understand fully and broadly what can paxton is accused of. So they launched an investigation, and at the end of their investigation, it resulted in those 20 articles of impeachment against ken paxton. And the way in which this trial and become a taste of gop loyalty, tony . I think it absolutely underscored the infighting going on within the gop party in texas, but ultimately we know that those gop senators faced pressure. There was a political machinery fired up here in texas with money pouring in to preserve can pick them as Attorney General. And the attached threat, the senators they saw as vulnerable to voting against ken paxton, the threat that, yes, they would absolutely receive well funded challenge hours at their next election. Here is the thing, ruth. I take care about texas because i care about texas, but i also care about texas because it would seem to me in this case to be across some of what we are watching nationally. With saint donald trump attacked republicans like brett raffensperger, liz cheney for killing the truth about the 2020 election. Petulant allies are going after their fellow republicans, calling them rhinos, not actually engaging on the merits of what theyre sharing, but instead trying to undermine their parliament loyalty. In paxton statement, he called the texas House Speaker a liberal. How does this tactic help one of the autocrats stay in power, retain their power . This is part of the spiral of radicalization, that the gop is in right now, especially after january 6th. Where hugh have this Theory Ironclad party loyalty, no internal dissent. So i remind people, the gop in texas is one of the most extreme in the nation. And here is something that should be shocking to us. And i think about every day. Put that kind of just goes, and its a blip on the screen, that the texas gop passed a resolution in 2022, who are they even actually acknowledge or recognize bidens authority. They called him and illegitimate and acting president. And if you study coups, what, is biden going to be there for a little while . Hes acting . And ken paxton himself has said that biden being in the white house is the result of a, quote, overthrow. As though biden was the one who tried to have a coup instead of the gop. Tony, my question, of course, for you is for the leaves texas politics, right . If there is apex wound to what we have watched today. I think, absolutely, yes. Certainly, we anticipate that ken paxton will likely become more emboldened in his efforts to do all sorts of things. And again, push the state to the further right. But it is important to note that ken paxtons circle certainly not out of the woods. There is an ongoing federal investigation into his alleged conduct, based on many of these same allegations. He is still facing State Security Fraud charges here. In texas. And last but not least, he is the subject of two ongoing complaints to the texas bar that could result in some sort of sanction on his license. Priscilla and tony, thank you so much for breaking us the view of what happened today from texas. Ruth, you are sticking with me. Next, healthy bought an Impeachment Inquiry shows the politics of vengeance seeking throughout the republican party. Plus, The Big Move A judgment and the Trump Classified documents case that has before President Writing and raving to those who listen. But first to richard look the other big stories were tracking here on msnbc. . Richard illicit, good evening. Members of the United Auto Workers union are on strike and a Labor Contract between the union and detroits big three automakers. That is by friday. The strikes or focus and three manufacturing plants, and michigan, ohio, and missouri. Or chris would hire wages, a short work week, and better job security. Negotiations resumed today. Posttropical storm lee making landfall, in canada, leaving thousands without power this hour. The storm for hurricaneforce winds and heavy rain to the coast of nova scotia and new england. And a woman fell to her death after trying to climb over the u. S. Mexico border in san diego, friday. Little is known about her identity. 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A reminder, republicans have no evidence of fraud to him by the president during their months long investigation into Hunter Bidens business dealings. This is nothing to do with fall infected. Instead, this is political posturing to appease donald trump and his base of voters. In an interview this week, trump said, quote, they didnt reporting for the new times reads, quote, even without a fullthroated demand for bots impeachment, trump has described it as getting even with democrats for impeaching him. Hes gone for there to suggest republicans will be justified and responding to his 91 criminal charges by concocting indictments against democrats. It is not just House Republicans willing to defend trump. The first gop debate, six of his political problems raised their hands when they would back trump as the parties eventual nominee, even if hes convicted on his criminal counts. Nbc news has learned biden plans to deliver a Speech Outlining Threat to our democracy after the Second Chipeta bit later this month. Joining me now, eugene scott and professor Ruth Benghiat is back with us. Ruth, trump was impeached the first time for his detect to pressure ukrainian president Zelenskyy To Dig Up Dirt on the province and exchange for u. S. Military aid. I wonder what you make of what you could call a full circle moment here as House Republicans are now using the Impeachment Process to continue trumps this is what i call the upside down world of authoritarianism, where you accuse the enemy of what you, yourself, have done. But this Impeachment Top is also what i call garbage politics. Which is designed to distract from the republicans own corruption, of course, also creates, it is a smear tactic used by the kremlin to create negative associations about biden in the minds of voters. And in general create a sense of chaos and the endgame is to show that democracy does not work and biden is incompetent and we need i kind of strongman to come in and make the trends run on time. Garbage politics would be very funny if it were not so consequential. Andrew, and a new column for the washington post, gop Congressman Ken Buck rising, quote, republicans in the house who are itching for an impeachment are pulling on an imagined the evidence is not there. Speaker mccarthy decided to launch an Impeachment Inquiry anyway. Tell me where this is all heading. I had a republican senator tell me this past week that you cant really put the two things back in the tube when it comes to slipping an Impeachment Inquiry, because the summit didnt see any universe in which Kevin Mccarthy, james comer, and jim jordan would say after this inquiry, okay, buttons oakley, we dont need to move for impeachment. So theyre going to impeach joe biden. And the question is, for them politically, out of this play . And republicans were obviously trying to keep the House Majority in 2024. The conventional wisdom with mccarthy to win this was that it would help him politically. It would help with the freedom caucus. But it could end up losing republicans, the majority. Because you think of all those republicans who come from districts that president putin won in 2020 and in 2022 as well . Those are people who are not going to want to take this type of the. Its basically what Kevin Mccarthy declared by edict hes going to launch this inquiry, instead of putting on the floor as a vote to officially open one. Eugene, lets call it what andrew said there about effect the question here is of course politically. I cite not to gamify this in any way, but rather to say, if democracy and integrity of democracy is on the line, political consequences are one of the only forms of accountability that might actually give him to reconsider their path forward. It yougov poll funding 41 of voters think this is an allout ploy to embarrass President Biden. Just 28 think its a serious attempt to find out what really happens. And you recently heard from swing voters and pennsylvania. What is it that they make of all this . These individuals are very aware that this motivation of Kevin Mccarthys is rooted in being part illiterate towards democrats for impeaching donald trump. They made clear that they have not seen anything coming from the gop proving that biden needs to be removed from office. They believe that Kevin Mccarthy is trying to get favor, not just with the freedom caucus, but with donald trump, whos made it very clear he wants to see his party get back at democrats, for what