Man serving subpoena lucky situation didn’t escalate and ‘necessitate force’, AG Paxton says

After fleeing his home with his wife to avoid being served with a subpoena the day before, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday that the process server is “lucky this situation did not escalate further or necessitate force.” He said in a statement released on Twitter that he fled his home because “a strange man came onto my property at home, yelled unintelligibly, and charged toward me. I perceived this person to be a threat because he was neither honest nor upfront about his intentions.” Citing the hazards of his job, he continued, “In light of the constant threats against me, for which dangerous individuals are currently incarcerated, I take a number of common sense precautions for me and my family’s safety when I’m at home. Texans do the same to protect themselves from threats, and many also exercise their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves and their families.

“... As leaders across America, from elected officials to Supreme Court Justices, face unprecedent (sic) threats of politically motivated violence, I believe this type of behavior utilized by radical activists is thoroughly disgusting and should be met with swift condemnation — not championed in the media.” The subpoena, which the server ultimately left on the ground, stemmed from a legal battle over funding for abortions, according to an affidavit filed in federal court. The subpoena was for a court hearing in Austin, but the federal judge Tuesday approved Paxton’s request to quash the subpoena, The Associated Press reported. Several abortion rights organizations are seeking a court order barring state officials from pursuing criminal charges against their employees should they resume funding out-of-state abortions for Texas residents. Lawyers in Paxton’s office representing Texas in the case didn’t immediately respond outside regular business hours to a request for comment. But Paxton responded on Twitter after The Texas Tribune first reported the incident late Monday night. Paxton said in his initial tweets that reporters are trying “to drum up another controversy” about him, calling it “a ridiculous waste of time.” He also raised reports of conservatives being attacked and how he was concerned for his family’s safety.