The New Texan
Central Texas EditionTuesday, May 19, 2026

Hypocrisy Watch

Hypocrisy Watch: Week of May 19, 2026

One entry this week — but it arrives with 130 cities' worth of letterhead behind it.

Texas State Capitol seen from the Blanton museum grounds
Steven Saylor / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The New Texan staffMay 19, 2026

One entry this week — but it arrives with 130 cities' worth of letterhead behind it.

Ken PaxtonAttorney General

the indicted-then-acquitted attorney general who keeps suing Austin and counting

Then

Sent letters to 130 Texas cities asserting they had committed or were at risk of committing illegal tax increases under state law, implying his office had identified specific violations in each case.

KVUE, May 18, 2026

Now

Paxton's office did not release the specific tax measures it believed each city had violated. No specific violations were identified in the letters.

KVUE, May 19, 2026