AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — New Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton prepared Sunday to become the latest powerful state official booked on felony charges, but unlike when Rick Perry smiled for his mug shot last year, Republicans are not rushing to Paxton's defense.

A day after news broke that a grand jury indicted Paxton on felony securities fraud charges, Gov. Greg Abbott, who was Texas attorney general for 12 years, remained silent. So was GOP presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who was stingy with campaign endorsements in 2014 but praised Paxton, a like-minded tea party favorite.

Other Texas GOP leaders also kept to themselves about Paxton, who is expected to turn himself in Monday near his home in suburban Dallas. Paxton attorney Joe Kendall said in a brief statement late Saturday that they would honor a judge's instructions to not publicly comment.

It's a sharp contrast to how conservatives rallied around Perry last year when a grand jury in liberal-leaning Austin handed up a two-count indictment against Texas' longest-serving governor over a 2013 veto. A judge earlier this month tossed out one of the indictments, leaving only an abuse of power charge.