AUSTIN, Texas — Attorney General-elect Ken Paxton has selected the members of his Transition Advisory Team, as well as naming who will fill the key role of First Assistant Attorney General, Breitbart Texas has learned.
Breitbart Texas can now confirm the previous reports that Chip Roy, who previously served as Chief of Staff for Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), will join Paxton at the Attorney General’s office. Roy will serve as the First Assistant Attorney General, a role that will have him second in command to Paxton.
Roy, an Austin resident, has a long history in Texas politics, including working with both of Texas’ Senators. He earned a B.S. in Commerce and an M.S. in Management Information Systems, both from the University of Virginia. He received his law degree from the University of Texas. Before joining Cruz’s office, he was a senior adviser to Governor Rick Perry, and a contributor to Perry’s book, Fed Up. Roy has also served as Director of State-Federal Relations for the State of Texas, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas, the Staff Director for Senator John Cornyn’s leadership office, and Senior Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Cruz applauded Paxton’s choice of Roy to head his office. “Texas is fortunate to have someone as dedicated as Chip is to protecting our values and upholding our constitutional liberties,” said Cruz. “He devoted the last two years building and guiding my team in the Senate, and I am grateful for his service. He will be missed, but I wish him the best as he continues his service to Texans as First Assistant Attorney General. He will always be a part of Team Cruz and I look forward to continue working alongside him to safeguard the freedoms that Texans cherish.”
Roy said, “I have been blessed to serve as Chief of Staff to Senator Cruz the past two years as he has honored his promise to Texans and ‘made DC listen.’ Moving on from his team is like leaving family, but you never truly leave. I was fortunate to learn how to be a lawyer under former Attorney General and now U.S. Senator John Cornyn. Now, Attorney General-elect Paxton has given me the honor of being home in Texas and helping him lead the great people of the Office of Attorney General as we defend the interests of this great state.”
In making the announcement, Paxton praised Roy as “a longtime friend, and someone whose counsel I trust,” who “has served Texas in the U.S. Senate, in the Governor’s office, and as a federal prosecutor…I am pleased that he will bring his strong legal mind, devotion to liberty, and servant’s heart to the Office of Attorney General as First Assistant.”
“I’m excited as we work through this transition and prepare for the years ahead,” said Paxton. “We are building a highly qualified and dedicated team that will be ready to defend Texas and ensure we are protected from an overreaching federal government.”
With Paxton’s tough stance on opposing federal government overreach, the Texans are likely to see a smooth transition in the Attorney General’s Office to Paxton from his predecessor, Governor-elect Abbott, who has sued the federal government twenty-seven times since Obama took office. Now, with Obama making increasingly serious threats that he will enact sweeping immigration reforms by executive order, Paxton may be able to check off his first lawsuit against the Obama administration within his first days in office.
Paxton also announced that he has launched a transition website for those interested in learning about his transition team or applying for jobs with the Attorney General’s Office at www.paxtontransition.com.
The complete list of Paxton’s Transition Advisory Team is as follows:
Roger Alford – Law Professor and Associate Dean, Notre Dame University
Ernest Angelo, Jr. – Former Chairman, Texas Public Safety Commission; Businessman, Former Mayor, Midland, Texas
Jordan Berry – Campaign Strategist, Berry Communications, Austin, Texas
Kevin Brannon – Chief Campaign Strategist, Allen, Texas
Mano DeAyala – Partner, Buck Keenan, LLC, Houston, Texas
Susanna Dokupil – Senior Fellow at TPPF; Former Assistant Solicitor General of Texas, Houston, Texas
Anthony Holm – Counsel and Senior Communications Advisor, Austin, Texas
Dee Kelly – Founding Partner, Kelly, Hart and Hallman, Fort Worth, Texas
Leonard Leo – Executive Vice President, Federalist Society, Virginia
Matt Orwig – Partner, Jones Day; Former United States Attorney, Dallas, Texas
Paul Pressler – Retired Judge, 14th Texas Court of Appeals; Former State Representative, Houston, Texas
Steve Roddy – Chief of Staff to Senator Ken Paxton, New Braunfels, Texas
John Ratcliffe – U.S. Congressman-Elect; Partner, Ashcroft Firm; Former United States Attorney, Rockwall, Texas
Oliver “Buck” Revell – Revell Group International, Inc.; Former Associate Deputy Director of the FBI; Former Chairman, Greater Dallas Crime Commission, Rowlett, Texas
Chip Roy – Named 1st Assistant Attorney General, Austin, Texas
Kelly Shackelford – President and CEO, Liberty Institute, Plano, Texas
Julie Springer – Partner, Weibart, Springer, Hayes, Austin, Texas
Kent Sullivan – Partner, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP; Former 1st Assistant Attorney General, Austin, Texas
Andy Taylor – Partner, Andy Taylor & Associates, P.C.; Former 1st Assistant Attorney General, Houston, Texas
David Whitehurst – Partner, Whitehurst Cawley, LLP, Addison, Texas
Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter at @rumpfshaker.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.