Ken Paxton once again sticks his nose where it doesn’t belong on behalf of Donald Trump

Attorney General Ken Paxton doesn’t always do right by Texas, but never question his loyalty to one man: Donald Trump.

Paxton showed it again Tuesday, rushing to weigh in on Trump’s battle over classified documents seized at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. The former president is fighting the Justice Department over whether an independent “special master” should review the documents at issue.

In a certain sense, it’s a classic Paxton case — there’s no interest or standing for the state of Texas and no particular insight or argument Paxton can bring to it. And the 21-page submission to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reads like it.

The state’s brief reads like a greatest hits list of diversions, distractions and irrelevancies. Paxton, writing on behalf of 10 other states who should also examine whether their AGs have enough real work to do, blasts the Biden administration on everything from immigration to the attempt to impose a COVID vaccine mandate on employers.

If you’re looking for a sharp takedown of Vice President Kamala Harris for her statement that the southern border is secure, you’ll find it in Paxton’s op-ed — er, sorry, legal brief. But if you’re interested in substantive discussion of the matter at hand, move on.

But then, sharp legal thinking isn’t the hallmark of Paxton’s tenure. His most obsequious effort on Trump’s behalf came after the 2020 election, when the Texan petitioned the Supreme Court to hear a lawsuit over other states’ election results. That one, handily rejected by the justices, was remarkable for its brazen attempt to both overturn an election and upend federalism. The new filing is, mercifully, not that consequential. But it’s just as flawed.

The list of Paxton’s contempt for the law, official and personal, is getting too long to recap here. Suffice is to say that he shares Trump’s view of following the rules — no problem, as long as it suits his purposes.

The Trump documents fight is important, and it raises complicated constitutional issues. Trump has every right to vigorously press his case, particularly when he might face indictment over his handling of classified material.

But he doesn’t need Texas taxpayers’ help. There’s plenty of work for Paxton’s office to do guarding the state’s interests and pursuing justice. Texans need an AG focused on that, not enhancing his status as Trump’s lickspittle.