Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has grown increasingly reliant on pricey private lawyers to argue cases on behalf of the state, a new investigation shows. Taxpayers pick up the tab.

Defense attorneys Tony Buzbee, sitting at the forefront, and Dan Cogdell wait together ahead of former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial at the Texas Capitol on Sept. 16, 2023 ...

WASHINGTON -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, Angela, are longtime owners of a $1.5 million house in a gated community outside Dallas. In 2015, they snapped up a second home in Austin.

Texas Flood 'Sick and disgusting': Texas AG Ken Paxton investigating charity impersonation scams after deadly floods People are asked to report suspected scams to the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, sits with lawyer Tony Buzbee on the ninth day of Paxton’s’s impeachment trial at the Texas Capitol in Austin on Sept. 15, 2023.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, sits with lawyer Tony Buzbee on the ninth day of Paxton’s’s impeachment trial at the Texas Capitol in Austin on Sept. 15, 2023.

People are asked to report suspected fraud to the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling toll-free 1-800-621-0508 or by filing an online complaint here.

The Texas attorney general’s office, one of the largest in the country, has more than 700 attorneys. “Large states typically don’t hire outside counsel,” Toth said.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, sits with lawyer Tony Buzbee on the ninth day of Paxton’s’s impeachment trial at the Texas Capitol in Austin on Sept. 15, 2023.