Texas Lawmaker Expelled After Sex Scandal With 19-Year-Old Aide

Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton (R) resigned from office on Monday after an investigation found he’d gotten a 19-year-old legislative aide drunk and then had unprotected sex with her. Still, the Texas House voted unanimously today to expel him from office. Slaton is the first member of the Texas House to be expelled since 1927. https://twitter.com/TexasTribune/status/1656004633620348931 From the Texas Tribune:

Although Slaton resigned Monday, unless expelled he was entitled to his House salary and per diem, Murr said. Until voters elect a replacement, Slaton also would have continued to sit on assigned committees and count toward establishing a working quorum of the House.

Slaton, a prominent anti-LGBTQ lawmaker who has described drag performers as “perverted adults,” allegedly invited the woman to his Austin apartment and gave her a large cup of rum and coke, then refilled it twice.

The committee said she was rendered unable to “effectively consent to intercourse and could not indicate whether it was welcome or unwelcome.”

The report also included the fact that Slaton had unprotected sex with the woman. House Republicans were reportedly not happy that she went to a drug store seeking Plan B medication to avoid pregnancy. It’s worth noting that Slaton is a married Baptist youth pastor who, of course, has supported several anti-LGBTQ measures. His own bills called for criminalizing drag shows calling drag performers “groomers.” Oh the irony… He also called for imposing the death penalty for women who get abortions. One House Republican, Rep. Steve Toth castigated Slaton on social media for neither mentioning the inappropriate relationship nor apologizing for it. https://twitter.com/Toth_4_Texas/status/1655641396202594327 https://twitter.com/SawyerHackett/status/1656002051107704832