By james art 
From The Texas Newsroom:
On the eve of Election Day, 51 attorneys general across the country signed a letter condemning any potential violence and calling for a peaceful transition of power.
Notably absent from the list? Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He was one of only three attorneys general, including Todd Rokita of Indiana and Austin Knudsen of Montana, who did not sign the letter. All three are Republicans.
Attorneys general from several US territories, as well as the District of Columbia, also signed on to the letter.
A spokesman for Paxton’s agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Texas Newsroom also reached out to spokespeople for Gov. Greg Abbott and Secretary of State Jane Nelson, whose office is helping administer the election.
The Houston Chronicle first reported Paxton’s absence.
Paxton was active on social media on Election Day, urging conservatives to re-elect former President Donald Trump and celebrating his victory to keep federal election observers out of Texas polls. He also addressed the elections on the radio Tuesday morning.
Paxton has a rocky relationship with the organization that issued the letter, the National Association of Attorneys General, or NAAG. The organization bills itself as a nonpartisan group that promotes cooperation among attorneys general.
Paxton was one of the few attorneys general who did not sign the group’s letter condemning the attack on the U.S. Capitol that took place on January 6, 2021. Instead, the then-attorneys general of Indiana, Louisiana and Montana wrote their own letter condemning all violent acts being carried out in the name of political ideology.
Paxton also did not sign that letter.
Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, attended the Trump rally held in Washington, D.C., on January 6. this day, Paxton’s agency released a statement in which he urged protesters to be peaceful: “I support the integrity of elections and the democratic process. I will not tolerate violence and civil disorder.
In the weeks that followed, Paxton refused to release his records from that day and led the case to challenge election results in key states, a decision for which he was tried by a disciplinary panel of the State Bar of Texas.
In May 2022, Paxton’s agency announced that Texas was leaving NAAG.
In a letter posted on social media site X, Paxton accused the organization of a “liberal bent.” Missouri and Montana followed suit. Weeks later, eight other conservative attorneys general also expressed concern about what they said was the group’s bias.
Paxton was more active with the Attorney General Alliance, another national organization, in the years since.
Those eight states, as well as Missouri, signed the letter condemning election violence that NAAG released Monday.
“Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, we expect that Americans will respond peacefully, and we condemn any acts of violence related to the results.” The peaceful transfer of power is the ultimate testament to the rule of law, a tradition that underpins our nation’s stability. As attorneys general, we reaffirm our commitment to protect our communities and uphold the democratic principles we serve,” NAAG’s Nov. 4 letter said.
It added: “We urge every American to vote, to engage in civil discourse, and above all to respect the integrity of the democratic process. Let us come together after this election, not divided by the results, but united in our shared commitment to the rule of law and the safety of all Americans. Violence has no place in the democratic process; we will exercise our powers to enforce the law against any illegal actions that threaten it.
A NAAG spokesman did not immediately respond to questions about the waivers.