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

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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.

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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."

Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, U.S., on Sunday, July 11, 2021. The three-day conference is titled "America UnCanceled." Photographer: Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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

Paxton ended the statement by saying, "I hope Speaker Phelan will get the help he needs" and that he has proven himself "unworthy of Texans' trust and incapable of leading the Texas House."

Paxton also issued a referral to Texas House General Investigating and Ethics Committee chairman Rep. Andrew Murr, calling for a probe on a possible "violation of House rules, state law, and for conduct unbecoming his position." 

Although Speaker Phelan's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment, the office addressed the allegations in other reports. According to The Texan news reporter Brad Johnson, in response to the House ethics panel announcing an investigation, Phelan spokeswoman Cait Wittman called Paxton's statement a "last call effort to save face."

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