U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, listens in September 2022 during ahearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/TNS)

AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton leveraged news Thursday that the Justice Department declined to prosecute him to attack his likely primary opponent, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.

Justice Department officials effectively ended their corruption investigation into Paxton in the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency, just before allies of President Donald Trump were confirmed to lead the federal agency, the Associated Press reported.

Paxton has repeatedly signaled his intent to challenge Cornyn for his Senate seat in Washington, recently participating in rare national interviews with print and digital media outlets and frequently targeting Cornyn online.

He shared an online screenshot Thursday of the Justice Department news while reviving a February 2024 spat with Cornyn, who told Paxton at the time it would be “hard to run from prison” after the attorney general suggested the senior Republican senator will have “a highly competitive primary” in the 2026 cycle.

“This former TX Supreme Court Justice and TX Attorney General ignored the rule of law, the Constitution, and innocent until proven guilty while standing with the corrupt Biden DOJ cheering on the bogus witch hunts against both me and President Trump,” Paxton wrote on X. “Care to comment now, John?”

Cornyn launched his reelection campaign last month for another six-year term. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Paxton’s latest attack.

The news came hours before a Texas Senate committee takes up a bill to reform the state’s impeachment process following the House’s historic impeachment of Paxton in 2023.

The House impeached him over alleged bribery, abuse of office and obstruction of justice in relation to claims he used his powerful office to benefit real estate developer and campaign donor Nate Paul, who renovated Paxton’s Austin home and employed a woman Paxton was reportedly seeing.

The Senate acquitted Paxton after a two-week trial. Paul pleaded guilty in January to one count of making a false statement to a financial institution and is expected to be sentenced later this month.

A recent audit found the impeachment process cost Texas taxpayers more than $5 million.