Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made headlines on Tuesday when he called on one of this state's most powerful Republicans to step down.
According to The Hill, Paxton demanded Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan's resignation after a video clip surfaced last week in which Phelan appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
In the footage, Phelan can be observed struggling to speak coherently and stand upright as he repeatedly slurs his words.
This is video from last night in the Texas House of Representatives where it appears that TX House Speaker Dade Phelan is either really drunk or having a stroke. pic.twitter.com/dbSG7AO30r
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 20, 2023
That behavior did not go unnoticed by the Collin County GOP, which put out tweet on Saturday which asked, "What is going on in this clip?"
What is going on in this clip? https://t.co/9Sa8AmdcpY
— Collin County GOP (@CollinGOP) May 21, 2023
Phelan's conduct led Paxton to release a statement on Twitter that read, "After much consideration, it is with profound disappointment that I call on Speaker Dade Phelan to resign at the end of this legislative session."
"Texans were dismayed to witness his performance presiding over the Texas House in a state of apparent debilitating intoxication," he complained.
"His conduct has negatively impacted the legislative process and constitutes a failure to live up to his duty to the public," the Republican attorney general insisted.
"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," he continued.
Paxton complained that Phelan's "failures as speaker have created a credibility crisis for all Republican candidates and for our entire party."
"While I hope that Speaker Phelan will get the help he needs, he has proven himself unworthy of Texans' trust and incapable of leading the Texas House," the attorney general concluded.
Speaker Dade Phelan should resign. pic.twitter.com/ZD920VOt1X
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) May 23, 2023
For his part, Phelan has yet to address the incident and his most recent tweet related to a meeting he had with Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbot as well as Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
The governor, lieutenant governor and I had a great meeting this morning - we’re working together to make sure we get it all done on time. One week left of #txlege. Stay tuned . . . https://t.co/gbzDxORmWa pic.twitter.com/Wi5dLjKZ9c
— Dade Phelan (@DadePhelan) May 22, 2023
