JAIL.
JAIL. >>>
JAIL. >>> THE CORONAVIRUS HAS CREATED
POLITICAL DIVISIONS AMONG US.
THE JAIL INMATES, ARE ABORTION
CLINICS ESSENTIAL SERVICES?
HOW ABOUT VOTING BY MAIL?
YOU SEE THE TEXAS ATTORNEY
GENERAL ARGUE FOR AND AGAINST
THESE IN COURT.
SHE IS OUR FIRST GUEST THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. GENERAL PAXTON, GOOD MORNING.
>> ON WHAT GROUNDS DO YOU THINK
YOUR OFFICE WILL APPEAL THE
VOTE BY MAIL DECISION?
>> WELL, IT IS NOT WITHIN A
JUDGE'S PURVIEW OR
RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE TEXAS
LAW.
LAW.
LAW. THAT
LAW. THAT IS WHAT SHE'S DONE.
SHE SAYS ANYBODY WHO HAS A FEAR
OF CONTRACTING COVID-19, CAN DO
MAIL-IN BALLOT.
MAIL-IN BALLOT. THAT'S NOT WHAT THE LAW SAYS
AND THE JUDGES DON'T HAVE THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF CHANGING WITH
THE LEGISLATURE HAS DIED. WE
ARE FAIRLY SURE WILL BE ABLE TO
OVERTURN THAT DECISION.
>> WASHINGTON STATE HAS
SUCCESSFULLY HAD VOTE BY MAIL
FOR YEARS.
FOR YEARS. WHAT YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN IF
TEXAS HAD BOOK BY MAIL?
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
>> YOU KNOW, MY JOB ISN'T
REALLY TO DECIDE WHAT THE
POLICY IS.
POLICY IS. MY JOB IS TO ENFORCE TEXAS LAW.
MY FEAR, WAS THAT VOTE BY MAIL
HAS A LOT MORE RISK AS IT
RELATES TO FRAUD AND PEOPLE NOT
BEING THE PEOPLE THEY SAY THEY
ARE WHEN THEY SEND IN THE
BALLOT.
BALLOT.
BALLOT. IT DOES CREATE GREATER RISK.
THERE IS NO DOUBT THE INCIDENCE
OF FRAUD GOES UP.
>>> YOUR OFFICE HAS BEEN BUSY
LATELY.
LATELY.
LATELY. UNDERSTAND YOUR OFFICE HAS
RECEIVED 8000 PRICE GOUGING
COMPLAINTS WHICH IS QUITE A BIT
IN THE LAST MONTH.
BUT, YOU ARE ALREADY TAKING
ACTION TO SUE SOME BUSINESSES.
TUMEY SOME OF THE ACTION YOU'RE
TAKING AND WHAT THIS IS FOR?
>> WE'RE LOOKING AT ESSENTIAL
ITEMS, IN THIS CASE, THERE
DIFFERENT THAN THEY WERE IN THE
HURRICANE.
HURRICANE. WE NEED MASKS AND OTHER ISSUES.
AND SO, WE SUED COMPANIES, A
LOT OF THEM ARE AUCTIONS, THEY
WERE PRICE GOUGING ON PRODUCTS
THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR THE
SURVIVAL OF SOME OF THESE
PEOPLE AND ALSO FOR SOME OF OUR
MEDICAL PROVIDERS.
MEDICAL PROVIDERS. OUR JOB IS TO ENFORCE TEXAS LAW
AND OUR JOB IS TO MAKE SURE, AS
IT RELATES TO ITEMS THAT ARE
ESSENTIAL RIGHT NOW, THAT THEY
ARE NOT, THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT
PRICE GOUGING.
PRICE GOUGING. THERE ALLOWED TO MAKE A PROFIT
AND THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH
FLUCTUATING PRICES AS LONG AS
THEY'RE NOT EXORBITANT.
>>> GENERAL PAXTON, THE GOVERNOR
ANNOUNCED YOU WERE PART OF THE
STATEWIDE TASK FORCE TO REOPEN
THE STATE.
THE STATE. WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING AND WILL
YOUR OFFICE BE DOING IN TERMS
OF REOPENING TEXAS?
>> WE ARE ALWAYS HONORED TO
HELP THE GOVERNOR.
HE HAS A BIG JOB IN A DIFFICULT
JOB.
JOB.
JOB. BALANCING THE RISK OF LIFE WITH
HIS COVID-19 WITH ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY.
PROSPERITY. HE MAKES ONE DECISION, ANOTHER
DECISION HARMS ANOTHER WAY.
WE ARE THERE TO HELP WITH THE
LEGAL LIST, AND A LEGAL
QUESTION THAT COME UP.
BELIEVE ME, THERE BEEN MANY.
WE ARE CONFIDENT IN DEALING
WITH THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN
FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LAW
AND CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES.
THERE ARE A LOT OF ISSUES THAT
MAY BE, NONE OF US HAVE EVER
BOUGHT -- DEALING WITH BEFORE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU BUT WHAT OF
THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.
HE SAID THAT ELECTIVE SURGERIES
WOULD STILL BE ALLOWED, ONCE
AGAIN, IS NOT GOING TO MAKE IT
A LOT HARDER TO KEEP ABORTION
CLINICS CLOSED BECAUSE THE
GOVERNOR SAID HIS ORDER DID NOT
NECESSARILY IMPACT ABORTION
CLINICS?
CLINICS?
CLINICS? >> SO, IT WILL BE HARD TO TELL.
WE HAVEN'T HAD A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE
LANGUAGE.
LANGUAGE.
LANGUAGE. EVERYTHING TURNS ON PARTICULAR
FACTS AND THE LAW.
THIS IS A NEW LOT BEING WRITTEN
TODAY THAT WE HAVE A CHANCE TO
GET THROUGH IT AND DO THE
ANALYSIS.
ANALYSIS.
ANALYSIS. >> I CAN HEAR YOUR PHONE
RINGING.
RINGING.
RINGING. I KNOW YOU STAY BUSY.
I WILL KEEP YOU FOR A FEW MORE
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. HAVE YOU OR YOUR WIFE, HAVE YOU
BEEN TESTED FOR THE
CORONAVIRUS?
CORONAVIRUS? >>> ACTUALLY, WE HAVE NOT AND
NEITHER ONE OF US HAS BEEN ILL.
WE HAVE A WAY, WE CHECK OUR
TEMPERATURES ABOUT EVERY DAY.
SOMETIMES, SEVERAL TIMES A DAY
TO SEE IF WE ARE NORMAL.
SO FAR, WE ARE IN GOOD HEALTH.
>>> TESTING IS ANOTHER BIG
CONCERN A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE.
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH
SERVICES SAYS MORE TESTING IS
ON THE WAY.
DO YOU THINK THIS STATE MAY RUN
INTO LEGAL CHALLENGES REOPENING
WITHOUT TESTING IN PLACE?
>> THERE WILL BE LEGAL ISSUES
NO MATTER WHAT WE DO.
WE ARE IN UNCHARTED TERRITORY.
WE ARE DEALING WITH ISSUES THAT
PEOPLE HAVE NEVER THOUGHT
ABOUT.
ABOUT.
ABOUT. THEY MIGHT'VE BEEN THOUGHT
ABOUT IN A LAW SCHOOL EXAM BUT
NO ONE THOUGHT THEY WOULD HAVE
TO DEAL WITH HIM.
THERE WILL BE LEGAL CHALLENGES
AND A CHALLENGE FOR US TO MAKE
SURE WE NAVIGATE BETWEEN
INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY AND
PROTECTING THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF OUR CITIZENS.
>>> I'M CURIOUS, YOU'RE JOINING
US FROM YOUR HOME.
ARE YOU DOING A LOT OF YOUR
WORK FROM HOME?
ARE YOU BACK-AND-FORTH DOWN IN
THE OFFICE?
THE OFFICE? >>> SO, MOST OF MY PEOPLE TALK
MEETINGS, OVER 90% OF OUR
PEOPLE ARE WORKING FROM HOME.
I'M DOING THE SAME THING.
SO, I WOULD SAY I'M ON THE
PHONE 12-17