Summary List Placement A scandal in Texas spilled onto the national stage this month after reports said Attorney General Ken Paxton was being investigated by the FBI on allegations of bribery and abuse of office in connection with an Austin real-estate developer who was a political donor. It marked a dramatic, high-profile escalation of the controversy surrounding Paxton and Nate Paul, the real-estate investor whom the FBI raided last year for still undisclosed reasons. What isn't as well known is that Paul, who is now 33, counted Vista Equity Partners' Robert Smith and longtime Vista executive Brian Sheth among his early supporters.