Ken Paxton refuses to say anything after landing back in Texas from Utah

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remained completely silent as he landed back in Austin after it was revealed that he had been in Utah as his home state suffered under a disastrous winter snow storm.

The Republican lawmaker buzzed through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Tuesday, weaving through local reporters who asked him about his trip and meetings with Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes last Wednesday and Friday.

Paxton didn’t answer a single question as he made his way to his vehicle, video obtained KXAN shows.

Paxton’s trip was not previously known publicly, and he made no mention of being out of state while lashing out at Texas’ grid operators on Twitter and urging residents to report price gouging.

Paxton was in Salt Lake City with his wife, state Senator Angela Paxton, for meetings with Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes last Wednesday and Friday, but it was not clear when he left or whether he had returned, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Spokesman Ian Prior said in a statement that the attorney general ‘did not leave Texas until after power had returned to most of the state, including his own home.’

Ric Cantrell, a spokesman for Reyes, said Paxton was in Utah last Wednesday – when by nightfall nearly 2 million people were still without power in Texas, and millions more either had no water or were under boil-water notices.

It is the second time that one of Texas’ top elected leaders was found to be out of state during the crisis, after Senator Ted Cruz took a family vacation to Mexico during the deadly winter storm.

Cruz faced heavy criticism for seeming to abandon his state during the crisis, and apologized after initially blaming his young daughters for insisting on the trip.

Prior said Paxton and Reyes met to discuss an antitrust lawsuit against Google and attend a demonstration of a law enforcement simulation.

Prior is a spokesman for Paxton’s campaign; the Texas attorney general´s office did not respond to questions about the trip.

It’s unclear whether the attorney general has returned to Texas.

Word of the trip gave Paxton’s critics another line of attack after months of scrutiny over his former aides reporting him to the FBI over accusations of bribery.

He is also still awaiting trial over a 2015 indictment on felony securities fraud charges.

‘He continues in a long line of Texas Republicans that have utterly failed Texans when we need it the most,’ Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said.

Meanwhile, Cruz faced heavy backlash for his pleasure jaunt to Cancun during the crisis.

On Sunday, a mariachi band descended on Cruz ‘s house to troll him and his family over their ill-fated trip to Cancun during the Texas energy crisis.

The band joined protesters outside the Cruz’s home in Houston and played cheerfully on the sidewalk. It’s unclear who hired them.

The Senator was not home at the time. He returned to Texas on Thursday, a day after leaving, after being lambasted for abandoning the state.

The Texas Senator flew to Mexico last Wednesday afternoon with his wife Heidi and their two daughters, aged 10 and 12, while millions in their home state struggled without power, heat and water.