After closing arguments in the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the lawyers who led the prosecution were riding high and feeling positive about the prospects of a conviction.

Attorney General Ken Paxton is back on the job after the Republican majority in the Texas Senate cleared him of any wrongdoing. Over the course of his two-week trial, Paxton's former top deputies—all conservatives he hired—testified that he abused the power of his office to help campaign donor Nate Paul and himself at the public's expense.

House Speaker Dade Phelan wrote an op-ed for his hometown newspaper, saying the “fix was in from the start,” while other Republican officials are calling for Phelan’s resignation.

The attorney general’s acquittal affects an upcoming legislative session on school vouchers—and the civil war within the Texas GOP.

I had an obligation, as everybody did there, and I had to vote according to my beliefs and where I was, in order to represent my constituents honestly.”