MRT 6/25/25 (free): Obstruction of Justice, Witness Tampering Alleged at OAG // ERCOT Preps for Summer Demand // Nichols to Retire, Ashby to Run // Schatzline for SD-9 // Trump DOJ Ends EPIC Probe

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MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak 

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WEDNESDAY | 6/25/2025

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• TOP NEWS

“Former Ken Paxton aides allege witness tampering during impeachment trial,” Austin American-Statesman's Taylor Goldenstein – “Several former and current top aides of Attorney General Ken Paxton are trading explosive accusations in legal and administrative filings, the latest of which alleges that Paxton's right-hand deputy obstructed justice and tampered with witnesses during his 2023 impeachment.

The public feud could become a distraction for Paxton just as he’s overcome a series of legal troubles, including the impeachment charges, which he was acquitted of by the Texas Senate, and as he launches his bid to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in next year’s Republican primary.

The new allegations — detailed in a suit filed Wednesday in federal court in Austin by former Solicitor General Judd Stone and Chris Hilton, the former chief of the general litigation division — include claims that current First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster threatened to fire employees if they gave testimony during the impeachment proceedings that was unfavorable to Paxton. The claim has not previously been reported, and Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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It’s not clear if the claims were ever raised to law enforcement; Webster has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

The first lawsuit was filed last month by Jordan Eskew, a former executive assistant for Stone and Hilton, against the two men and their private law firm. Eskew accused Stone of sexual harassment on multiple occasions in 2023 when she had taken leave from Paxton’s office to work for Stone and Hilton as private attorneys representing Paxton in the impeachment trial. She also claimed Hilton failed to protect her and that the two created a hostile work environment.

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A spokesperson for Stone and Hilton’s law firm has called Eskew’s suit “a complete fabrication” and said that it was pushed by Paxton’s top deputy, Webster, who has a “personal vendetta” against Stone and Hilton. Webster and Eskew are still working at the attorney general’s office.

This week, Stone and Hilton shot back with a suit of their own against Webster and other attorney general staffers, not including Eskew, and a bar complaint against Webster.

They claim Webster tried to damage their careers by lying about them and encouraging Eskew to file her sexual harassment suit.

Stone and Hilton also claimed in the filing to the State Bar of Texas that Webster tried to tamper with potential witnesses for Paxton’s impeachment proceedings by pressuring them to give favorable testimony or “to flee the state to evade being subpoenaed to disclose information harmful to Webster.” It does not specify which people were targeted.

Webster also demanded that Stone and Hilton “disclose confidential information” during the impeachment proceedings, which would have violated their professional obligation to Paxton, according to the bar complaint.

When they refused to share the information, the complaint alleges, Webster threatened retaliation against them and the firm.

The bar complaint also alleges Webster abused the power of his office by, in part, leveraging meetings with private citizens and lawyers to try to obtain future lucrative employment and harm his enemies.

The Bar’s law office will now review the complaint and decide within the next 30 days whether the allegations amount to professional misconduct, and if so, it will conduct an investigation.

The harassment claims

Eskew’s lawsuit claims Stone made a sexual comment and yelled at her several times at their law firm, and Hilton stood by and did nothing.

She alleges that Stone responded to her statement at a work lunch that a shot of alcohol was “the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted” by saying, “I highly doubt that is the most disgusting thing that has ever been in your mouth.” Hilton, according to the complaint, did nothing but wince and laugh uncomfortably.

It also described a situation in which Stone and Hilton berated Eskew for taking too long to get a BBQ lunch to the staff and multiple other occasions in which Stone yelled at her and other female employees. It alleged Stone called her “white trash” because she was wearing turquoise earrings and that he asked her to buy alcohol and make drinks as part of her job duties.

One time, the suit alleges, Stone told her: “If anyone else makes a comment about my drinking, they’ll be fired.” Another time, he told her that at his firm, “you can say whatever slurs you want.”

The Texas Workforce Commission previously determined that Eskew had grounds to bring a harassment suit, and in a filing to the TWC, Stone admitted to making the comments but “denied the sexual nature” of them, according to Eskew’s suit.

Stone, Hilton and Eskew were among the lawyers who took leave from the attorney general’s office in 2023 to represent Paxton during the impeachment. Eskew claims that upon their return, they were asked to resign after she raised concerns about their behavior during the impeachment period. They deny that they were forced to leave, and their suit suggests they left because of their differences with Webster. Stone and Hilton declined an interview request for this story.

Four other lawyers who returned to the attorney general’s office after working at Stone and Hilton’s private firm during the impeachment process have entered into paid settlement agreements that prohibit them from disparaging the firm owners, according to the suit, though it does not say when. They agreed to a statement saying the lawyers “parted ways professionally” and “amiably” with Stone and Hilton. Eskew refused to agree to the statement, according to the suit.

The Webster connection

Webster wasn’t a plaintiff in Eskew’s suit, but he indicated in an internal email cited in the complaint that two women who worked with Stone and Hilton told him they were afraid of potential assault or further harassment by the men.

Webster also wrote that he had heard from one of the women that Stone had openly fantasized about Webster being harmed and as a result, Webster feared for his and his family’s safety.

Stone and Hilton denied Webster’s account and all accusations of sexual harassment in Eskew’s filing. They claim Webster was angry with them for pushing to get access to records after they left that they believed would expose wrongdoing.

“The email is nothing more than retaliation against Plaintiffs for their refusal to play ball with a corrupt public official,” their suit reads. “Webster sent the email in response to Plaintiffs’ efforts to obtain documents that would prove his corruption.”

Eskew’s lawsuit has caused Stone and Hilton “significant embarrassment and a loss of standing in their professional and personal circles — just as Defendants intended,” they write in their suit.

Days after Eskew’s suit went public, Stone stepped down from the Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee, a panel of attorneys who screen judicial candidates for Texas’ two senators, saying he did not want “the recent false and scurrilous accusations against me to overshadow the committee,” according to Bloomberg News." AAS ($)

“ERCOT hustling to prepare Texas electric grid for record summer demand,” San Antonio Express-News' Sara DiNatale – “Bracing for record-high demand this summer, the Texas grid operator is setting up temporary generators at San Antonio substations as part of its plan to prevent a statewide transmission meltdown.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said its latest forecast calls for this summer’s peak demand to reach 87.5 gigawatts — 2 gigawatts higher than the current record.

ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said the grid he oversees is ready to handle it.

“The state of the grid is strong,” he told board members Tuesday. “It is as reliable as it has ever been, and it is as ready for the challenges of extreme weather that we have ever experienced. And so I feel confident that we are ready for this upcoming summer season.”

While ERCOT anticipates the state’s power plants will produce enough capacity to meet the demand, the state’s sagging transmission infrastructure could pose challenges moving that power to where it’s needed when it’s needed. A problematic circuit that makes a loop around San Antonio could cause cascading outages across the state if overloaded.

That’s why ERCOT is shelling out more than $110 million of its ratepayer-funded budget to tap a temporary generator fleet from Houston for about 450 megawatts and to keep an aging CPS Energy natural gas plant open past its prime — adding another 400 megawatts of power in the troubled area.

The old plant won’t be fixed up in time to operate this summer, but some of the generators will be ready to go in a couple weeks, Vegas announced.

It’s part of ERCOT’s plan to keep the lines from being overburdened, especially when plentiful power from South Texas wind farms and batteries is needed in North Texas, where generation capacity hasn’t kept up with increasing demand. The location of the plant, Unit 3 at Braunig Power Station, means that ERCOT can use it — along with the 15 generators, tied to nine key substations along the problematic circuit — to reduce the number of electrons zipping across the troubled power lines at times of high demand.

CPS already is working on a long-term fix for the transmission challenges — building out expanded power lines. At ERCOT’s request, they’ve speeded up the timeline to get the line upgrades completed.

The temporary generator fleet has a contentious past. It was originally under the control of Houston electricity and natural gas provider CenterPoint Energy as part of an $800 million contract with owner LifeCyle Power. It was intended to provide backup power to keep Houston powered amid severe weather.

But when Hurricane Beryl tore through Houston, knocking out power for days, most of the generators were never deployed. That’s because 15 of the 20 contracted machines take several days to assemble and need special permits — not well suited for sudden outages caused by a storm, despite being billed as “mobile generators” by CenterPoint.

Five of the generators already have been moved to San Antonio and four were fully assembled as of Tuesday. A second set of five were expected to arrive Wednesday.

“What the contract provides for is bringing roughly five generators online into the San Antonio area every 31 days, with the first generators beginning operation by the early part of July,” Vegas said.

Once they’re assembled, the generators can be fired up quickly to provide emergency backup services to support the transmission infrastructure while permanent line upgrades are ongoing.

The fleet is contracted until March 31, 2027, but can exit San Antonio sooner if the transmission expansion finishes up sooner. The contracted cost, to be shared by ratepayers across Texas, is $54 million." SAEN ($)

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• #TXLEGE

“With prospects of a THC ban eroded, Texas hemp industry supports age restrictions, more regulation enforcement” Texas Tribune

“Texas Lottery Commission to be disbanded as state game gets new restrictions” Texas Tribune

“Faith leaders and families sue to block Texas’ new Ten Commandments in schools law” AP

• LOCAL GOVERNMENT

“Recent deaths of 3 Harris County inmates within 48 hours raises concerns about jail standards” Hou Chron ($)

• 2026

“Robert Nichols, the most senior Texas Senate Republican, won’t run for reelection” Texas Tribune

“State Rep. Nate Schatzline launches bid for newly vacant Texas Senate seat” Texas Texas Tribune

• TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

“U.S. Department of Justice ends civil rights investigation of EPIC City development” DMN ($)

• NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

> TX TRIB: "Progressive Rep. Greg Casar has a playbook he wants Democrats to use in 2026" TX TRIB

> HOU CHRON: "She called 911 to report domestic abuse. Then Houston police called ICE on her." HOU CHRON

> THE TEXAN: "ACLU of Texas Seeks Legal Challenge to Texas' 'Parental Bill of Rights'" THE TEXAN

> AAS: "Texas abolishes lottery commission. Can residents still play?" AAS

> KXAN: "Judge rules $440M Hays County road bond void, Commissioners Court unlawfully called the election" KXAN

> THE TEXAN: "Sen. Robert Nichols Announces Retirement from Texas Legislature After 20 Years" THE TEXAN

> MRT: "Passage of new bills boosts oversight of oilfield utility poles" MRT

> THE TEXAN: "Fort Worth Delays Vote on Suspending Minority-Preference Programs" THE TEXAN

> SAEN: "Alert: Trump says both Israel and Iran violated a ceasefire" SAEN

> DMN: "Texas’ risk of power blackouts reduced as 100-degree days near, officials say" DMN

> HOU CHRON: "The highest-paid superintendents in Texas: Where HISD leader Mike Miles' new salary ranks" HOU CHRON

> TPR: "Suspect dead, two officers injured in officer-involved shooting on Texas Tech University campus" TPR

> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Blanco River Eyecare opens under new ownership in San Marcos" COMMUNITY IMPACT

> DMN: "Karmelo Anthony indicted on murder charge in fatal stabbing at Frisco track meet" DMN

> THE TEXAN: "BlackRock Launches ETF Focused on Texas-Headquartered Corporations" THE TEXAN

> FWST: "800 residents wait to get in Cooper Apartments after 6-alarm Fort Worth fire" FWST

> AAS: "Sweltering Texas summers are here: 10 things you should never leave in a hot car or truck" AAS

> FWST: "Teen sexually assaulted by her driving instructor, TX cops say. He’s prison-bound" FWST

> KXAN: "ACC prepares to sue over Dream Act repeal" KXAN

• EXTRA POINTS

Last night's Texas sports schedule:
> MLB: Texas 6, Baltimore 5
> WNBA: Dallas 68, Atlanta 55
> MLB: Houston 1, Philadelphia 0

Today's Texas sports schedule:
> 5:35pm: MLB: Texas at Baltimore
> 7:10pm: MLB: Philadelphia at Houston
> 7:30pm: MLS: San Jose at Dallas
> 7:30pm: MLS: Houston at Minnesota

Tomorrow's Texas sports schedule:
> 1:10pm: MLB: Philadelphia at Houston

HOUSTON ASTROS: “Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña hires agent Scott Boras" Hou Chron ($)

TEXAS RANGERS: "Texas manager Bochy says he’ll consider a rotation spot for Latz after impressive start vs. Orioles" AP

DALLAS MAVERICKS: "Cooper Flagg is the prize player as the Mavericks hold the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft" AP

DALLAS MAVERICKS: Sherrington: "Mavericks’ NBA draft fortunes have never been this certain. Now, a bright future awaits" DMN ($)

HOUSTON ROCKETS: "Rockets, guard Fred VanVleet agree to two-year contract with reduced salary for 2025-26" Hou Chron ($)

SAN ANTONIO SPURS: "Peter Holt in his own words: Why the San Antonio Spurs need a new arena" SAEN ($)

TEXAS FOOTBALL: “Richard Wesley, 5-star edge, commits to Texas football 2026 class" AAS ($)

TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL: “Texas A&M football recruiting: 4-star OL Zaden Krempin commits to Aggies" AAS ($)

TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL: “Avery Morcho, 3-star 2026 OL, commits to Texas A&M Aggies" AAS ($)