Who is Laura Olson? Ken Paxton's Affair Scrutinized in Impeachment Trial

With Ken Paxton's impeachment trial set to start today, the Texas Attorney General's affair with a woman he tried to help get a job with real estate developer Nate Paul is increasingly under scrutiny.

The woman, identified as Laura Olson, is not a public figure, but found herself at the center of the storm surrounding the Texas lawyer, who has been accused of bribery, abuse of office, and improper influence by his own staffer.

Paxton, a Republican who has served as Texas Attorney General since 2015, was suspended on May 27 after being impeached by the state House of Representatives. He has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the case is an attempt to oust "America's most conservative" attorney general.

A two-thirds vote will be required to remove Paxton from office. A conviction in the trial would also mean Paxton would be barred from seeking elected office in Texas ever again.

His legal troubles preceded the 2020 accusations: he had been under indictment since 2015 when he was hit by securities fraud charges related to activities prior to taking office. He pleaded not guilty.

But the 2020 accusations from his own staff members appeared to mark a point of no return for Paxton, a former Texas State senator, who lost the support of his own party. His impeachment in May of that year was passed with bipartisan approval in the GOP-controlled state House with a 121-23 vote.

Among the many allegations against him were that he accepted bribes from a political donor, misused public resources, and made false statements regarding his financial interests.

One of the articles alleged that Paul, a major campaign donor to Paxton, bribed him by securing him a job for a woman he was allegedly having an affair with—Olson, though she's not named in the articles of impeachment.

"Nate Paul giving his mistress a job means that he no longer has to drive back and forth from San Antonio to see her, and it makes her more convenient [if she is] here in Austin," Rep. Ann Johnson said during impeachment proceedings on May 27.

Paxton's lawyers confirmed the woman's identity on Monday, writing in a motion to dismiss part of the impeachment articles: "Articles IX and X allege the Attorney General received a bribe from Nate Paul, who allegedly employed Laura Olson at one of his corporate holdings in 2019 and assisted with renovations to the Attorney General's home in 2020."

Olson was recently identified by the media as the woman Paxton had an extramarital relationship with after her identity was initially kept private.

She's better known as the on-and-off girlfriend of former San Antonio Councilman Clayton Perry.

According to The Dallas Morning News, a woman with the same name as Olson worked for a senator who will vote on Tuesday on whether Paxton will be removed from office or not—raising concerns on whether there's a conflict of interest.

The newspaper wrote that Olson worked for Texas Senator Donna Campbell, a Republican, between April 2014 and December 2019.

In a previous report, The New York Post wrote that Olson worked for Campbell before securing a job with Paul in 2019.

The newspaper also wrote that Olson has been a member of the group Bexar County Republican Women for several years. Olson, a four-time divorcee and mother of two, stood by Perry after he was arrested for an alleged drunken hit-and-run last November.

The two were seen together as recently as in April.

Olson is not directly involved in Paxton's trial and has not committed any wrongdoing.

Newsweek contacted Paxton for comment by email on Tuesday.