AUSTIN, Texas — The first witness called in suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial Tuesday was a crucial one: His former top assistant, Jeff Mateer.
Mateer served as a first assistant attorney general under Paxton from 2016 until 2020, when he resigned after accusing Paxton of breaking the law to benefit Nate Paul, the Austin real estate developer at the center of bribery accusations against Paxton.
To casual followers of Paxton's impeachment and fallout surrounding Paul, Mateer is likely not well-known.
But he's a high-profile name in conservative legal circles, in particular in North Texas, where he got his law degree from SMU and worked for a large Dallas firm for around 20 years.
Mateer was even nominated for a judge position by President Donald Trump. But Mateer's nomination was not confirmed after reports surfaced that he called transgender children part of "Satan's plan," according to the Texas Tribune.
When Mateer took the stand in Paxton's impeachment trial Tuesday, Rusty Hardin, the attorney hired by the Texas House to prosecute Paxton, asked Mateer if he was a "RINO" -- Republican In Name Only. Paxton supporters have used the "RINO" moniker to suggest Paxton's impeachment is being fueled by political reasons.
Mateer appeared taken aback by the suggestion.
"I'm certainly far from right of center," he told Hardin. "I would describe myself as an evangelical Christian."
Mateer's track record includes decades of legal work in the religious freedom area. He's currently the chief legal officer for the First Liberty Institute, which bills itself as the "largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans."
He first joined the First Liberty Institute in 2010, before leaving to serve under Paxton as first assistant attorney general in 2016.
It was in 2020 when Mateer said he first noticed Paxton's connection to Paul, the Austin real estate developer. Mateer raised concerns with Paxton on his potential involvement in a lawsuit case involving Paul and the Mitte Foundation, a charitable organization that had a dispute with Paul.
Mateer said Paxton had planned to go argue a motion in the lawsuit in Travis County District Court, a move that Mateer described as a remarkably rare for the top lawyer in the state.
"General Paxton has some wonderful qualities, but he is not a litigator," Mateer said. "It made absolutely no sense [for him to argue in the case]. This wasn't the Google case. it wasn't the Supreme Court. It was Travis County District Court."
Mateer called it "inconceivable to me" that Paxton would appear in court in the case.
Mateer said he called a meeting with Paxton and other top assistants, urging him to "not have any further dealings with Nate Paul and let the lawyers [in the attorney general's officee] handle it."
Mateer said Paxton told him he would have no further dealings with Paul.
"It was very troubling to me that the attorney general would be willing to appear in Travis County District Court," Mateer testified. "I was very concerned why he would want to do that."
Mateer said Paxton "seemed sincere" about not dealing with Paul or the Mitte Foundation case anymore. But the next day, Mateer said he learned, Paxton was contacting other lawyers in his office about helping Paul.