Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton offered to end a whistleblower lawsuit against him on Thursday by not contesting the facts of the case and accepting any judgment against him. The lawsuit alleges that Paxton fired and retaliated against former top staff members who threatened to reveal his financial relationship with Austin, Texas real estate developer Nate Paul.

In an amended answer, Paxton asserts that settling this lawsuit will “save taxpayer money and not waste government resources.” Paxton went on to state:

For these reasons, today, my office acted to end this wasteful litigation by filing an amended answer that—consistent with the previous decision to settle this case—will enable the trial court to enter a final judgment without any further litigation. By taking this action, the OAG has put an end to the plaintiffs’ long-running political stunt and re-committed the entirety of agency expertise and resources to our urgent legal initiatives, including our era-defining immigration lawsuits against the Biden Administration.

Last year, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton by a vote of 121 to 23. The impeachment alleged that Paxton made legal decisions to benefit Paul, who paid for Paxton’s home renovations and employed a woman with whom Paxton had an alleged affair. The articles of impeachment also claimed that Paxton fired and retaliated against whistleblowers who threatened to reveal his financial relationship with Paul. Paxton was acquitted on all charges at his impeachment trial.

According to the Texas Office of the Attorney General, the Texas Whistleblower Act “protects public employees who make good faith reports of violations of law by their employer to an appropriate law enforcement authority. An employer may not suspend or terminate the employment of, or take other adverse personnel action against, a public employee who makes a report under the Act.”