This story snuck up on me, which is why I haven’t covered it before today. It has nothing to do with the protagonist being a Republican: as I have said before, I am an equal opportunity observer of hyenas on fire.
Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City) resigned from the Texas House yesterday.
His resignation came one step ahead of his being expelled from the House, in what appears to be a massive bi-partisan consensus that he needed to go.
So what the heck happened? Former Rep. Slaton apparently plied one of his aides, a 19-year old woman, with rum and cokes until she was drunk. Then he had sex with her.
On Sunday, the Texas House Freedom Caucus, a group that includes some of the most socially conservative lawmakers in the chamber who are usually politically aligned with Slaton, also called for his resignation.
“The abhorrent behavior described in the report requires clear and strong action,” the caucus said in a statement. “He should resign. If he does not, we will vote to expel him Tuesday.”
Later that night, 36 members of the 62–member State Republican Executive Committee, party activists who help set the agenda for the party, also called for his resignation, calling his conduct “wrong and unacceptable.” They were joined by the party’s vice chair, Dana Myers, and secretary Vergel Cruz. Three more committee members who could not be reached Sunday night added their names to the call for resignation Monday morning.
More from KVUE, which does not appear to be a re-hashed Texas Tribune story (unlike Fox 7 and KXAN). Statesman coverage.
Well, if you can’t do those things, I am not running for political office then.
Actually, in an anecdote, my wife’s niece was a page for Senator Ted Kennedy, a long time age. She got a picture of herself, with Bill Clinton and Yassir Arafat, if that tells you how long ago.
She told us that Sen. Kennedy was the kindest and most considerate of all the Senators that she and her group worked with. He was concerned about their safety while working there, about what they wanted to do after high school. If the work load was too much, etc.
I never thought much of Sen. Kennedy, but I drew back a bit on him as a person, knowing that he at least was concerned about the young people who had come there as high school students to get a taste of life in Congress, and the lawmaking process.
My niece didn’t end up going into law, but is married to the prosecutor of one of the counties that made up half of my home town. My home town straddled two counties.
I still understand how laws are really made, and it is not like they say on school house rock. But it was neat to have a sort of insiders look at the process.