TX AG Ken Paxton on COVID-19, mail-in ballot fraud
approach is targeted, reacts to Texas Supreme Court ruling on mail-in ballot fraud
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Saturday that his office has found evidence of "a lot of voter fraud" involving mail-in ballots and applauded court rulings rejecting expanded access to vote-by-mail during the coronavirus pandemic.
Paxton, a Republican, said on "Fox & Friends Weekend" that the GOP-controlled state Legislature has the right to steer clear of universal mail-in ballots.
SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH TEXAS GOP OFFICIALS OVER MAIL-IN BALLOTS, TRUMP CALLS IT A 'BIG WIN'
"In Texas, the Legislature has tried to balance this idea of if people are out of town or they can't vote, we allow them to vote. But we also know there is a risk, a higher risk of voter fraud, with these mail-in ballots. So they have limited it," he said.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court kept in place a lower court order blocking a request from state Democratic leaders to expand the mail option, at least while the case is being litigated.
President Trump celebrated the decision.
"Big WIN in Texas on Mail-In Ballots!" he tweeted.
Voting by mail in Texas is generally limited to those 65 or older or those with a "sickness or physical condition" that prevents voting in person. The Texas GOP has argued that fear of getting the virus doesn't qualify as a disability under the law.
The fight in Texas is one of several nationwide over expanding access to mail-in ballots amid the pandemic. Primary runoff elections in Texas are set for July 14.
"Fox & Friends" host Jedediah Bila asked Paxton to respond to critics who say the claim of increased fraud is bogus.
"Well, they obviously haven't been investigating fraud in my state," Paxton replied. "Because we have a team of lawyers and investigators [whose] sole job is to investigate voter fraud."
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"Two-thirds of our cases over the last decade have been about mail-in ballots. And so we know for a fact that there is mail-in ballot voter fraud going on every day.
"And so we’re dealing with it. We’re prosecuting it. If we actually had more resources, then we would be prosecuting more," he said.
"There is a lot of voter fraud going on," Paxton added.
Fox News' Bill Mears, Alex Pappas, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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