Several lawmakers stood out in their roles on Saturday.
During the four hours in which lawmakers debated whether to impeach Mr. Paxton, several key players emerged who could have an enduring role as the impeachment case proceeds.
Representative Andrew Murr, the Republican who led the committee that investigated Mr. Paxton, brought the impeachment resolution to the floor and fielded most of the questions from Mr. Paxton’s supporters, many of whom directly criticized the committee’s work.
Mr. Murr, with his distinctive curling mustache, parried many of the attacks on the process by returning to the seriousness of the charges against Mr. Paxton. “We will not tolerate corruption, bribery, abuse of office, retaliation and all the related charges that have been presented to you,” he said in his closing remarks. “I’m confident that you cannot tolerate let alone defend these most serious and grave official wrongs.
Representative John Smithee, another Republican, took on the role of arguing against impeachment, focusing less on the accusations and more on the ways in which he viewed the process as unfair. He said that not enough evidence had been presented and that lawmakers had not had enough time to consider such a consequential decision.
“It’s what I call the hang them now and judge them later policy,” he said of the proceedings.
Representative Ann Johnson, a Democrat and former prosecutor, laid into Mr. Paxton from the floor on Saturday, saying he had broken laws that could lead to jail time. She also described what she said were senior members of Mr. Paxton’s staff whose integrity had compelled them to speak up about his behavior. She said one employee observed Mr. Paxton requesting expensive renovations to his home that would be taken care of by his friend and donor.
The employee, deeply disturbed at a situation he regarded as improper, quit his job, Ms. Johnson said. When he continued to be paid by Mr. Paxton, she said, the man returned the money to Mr. Paxton’s campaign. “This is the kind of integrity,” she said, that investigators discovered from the people who spoke up, many of whom were Republicans.