Global Courant 2023-05-24 01:59:22
Texas Governor Abbott convenes a special session of the state legislature – Credit: Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images
Texan Attorney General Ken Paxton has called for House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) to resign after presiding over the House “in a clearly intoxicated state”. Paxton also called for an investigation into the incident.
“Texans were dismayed to witness his act as Speaker of the Texas House in a state of apparent debilitating drunkenness,” the attorney general wrote in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday. “His conduct has negatively impacted the legislative process and constitutes a failure to fulfill his duty to the public.”
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Paxton also wrote a letter calling for an investigation. “Based on an assessment of Speaker Dade Phelan presiding over the House of Representatives in a clearly intoxicated state, I call on the (General Inquiry) Committee to open an investigation of Speaker Phelan for violations of house rules, state laws and conduct. inappropriate position,” Paxton wrote.
Video of Phelan presiding over the Texas House floor during a May 19 session while slurping and flailing onstage during a May 19 session went viral over the weekend.
Phelan himself did not address the incident. Monday he tweeted an image of himself and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick “working together” on legislative projects. Phelan’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
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