Texas's acting attorney general is resigning. John Scott's departure comes after just six weeks on the job.
In a letter to Governor Greg Abbott, John Scott said he had only taken the job on the understanding it would be for a limited time and that he planned to return to the private sector. Scott's resignation takes effect this coming Friday.
Abbott named Scott to the post in late May, after the House impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton. Texas law requires that, once impeached, an elected official is suspended from office pending his or her trial in the Senate. Paxton's trial is scheduled to begin September 5. Abbott will need to name a new official to fill the state's top law enforcement position until Paxton is either cleared or convicted.
Scott, a Fort Worth attorney, gained notoriety representing former President Trump in a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania. Abbott then named Scott as secretary of state in October 2021. Scott oversaw an audit of the 2020 election results in four of the state's largest counties, including Harris County, before resigning that post last December.
Abbott has already named Angela Colmenero as the new acting attorney general. Colmenero is a longtime aide to the governor, whom he recently named his deputy chief of staff.
