Dumpster fire reported at Texas Attorney General’s Office. No, we mean a literal dumpster fire.

In what may be the most accurate metaphor yet for Ken Paxton’s tenure as a statewide elected official, the Texas Attorney General’s Office in Austin was the site of a dumpster fire.

The Attorney General’s Office, which the embattled Paxton heads, issued a statement saying that it had arrested a 42-year-old woman who accidentally ignited the blaze on Wednesday night.

She’s believed to have thrown a lit cigarette into the trash receptacle and now faces a charge of criminal mischief equal to or greater than $25,000 but less than $30,000, according to the statement.

The fire occurred the same day that a GOP-led Texas House committee held a three-hour public meeting outlining allegations that Paxton, a fellow Republican who’s currently under federal investigation, broke multiple state laws and misused taxpayer funds.

On Thursday, the same House committee submitted 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton, including charges of bribery, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice.

For those keeping score at home, Paxton has denied all wrongdoing and denounced the investigators who presented the allegations against him as “liberal lawyers.”

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This article appears in May 17-30, 2023.