Tomlinson: Paxton picks personal attorney to shake down big BlackRock, Vanguard

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, right, listens as Larry Fink, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock, makes a statement during opening remarks of the Texas Power Grid Investment Summit, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 in Houston.

A monitor with Blackrock Inc. signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, March 15, 2022.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, greets former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Robstown, Texas, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images/TNS)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton discusses a proposed $26 billion multi-state opioid settlement during a news conference at the Houston Recovery Center Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021 in Houston. Paxton encouraged cities and counties to sign on to the settlement agreement that could yield up to $1.5 billion for the state.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears at a pretrial hearing in his securities fraud case before state District Judge Andrea Beall in the 185th District Court Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at Harris County Criminal Courts at Law in Houston. Paxton will have his charges dismissed in exchange for doing 100 hours of community service and meeting other requirements, according to a last-minute deal announced Tuesday.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to shake down BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard, and he’s hired the attorney who defended him against impeachment to share in the profits.

In a lawsuit that would make values investing illegal, Paxton accuses the nation’s largest asset managers of illegally conspiring to manipulate energy markets by not investing in the dying coal industry.

“Texas will not tolerate the illegal........

© Houston Chronicle