Texas Attorney General Paxton calls on state House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign after 'apparent intoxication'

Ken Paxton says the Republican Speaker is failing to 'live up to his duty to the public'

POLITICS Published May 23, 2023 11:08pm EDT

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called on Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign, Tuesday after a video circulated on social media showing Phelan slurring his speech and struggling to stand, with many suggesting he might have been intoxicated.

In a statement, Paxton called on Phelan to resign after being in a state of "apparent debilitating intoxication" on the House floor at the Texas Capitol.

In the statement, the attorney general said the speaker's conduct "negatively impacted the legislative process and constitutes a failure to live up to his duty to the public." In addition, Paxton said, "Texans were relying on the House to pass critical conservative priorities including protecting the integrity of our elections and preventing Chinese spies from controlling Texas land."

Paxton added that Phelan's "failures as Speaker" have created a "credibility crisis for all Republican candidates for our entire Party..."

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