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Bryan Slaton: Texas lawmaker resigns before wrongful vote

Austin, Texas –

A Republican Texas lawmaker resigned Monday ahead of a vote expected to expel him after an investigation found he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a 19 year old trainee.

Representative Bryan Slaton, 45, has faced calls from state Republicans and conservative groups to step down after a House investigation last week determined he had given the intern and another young employee drank alcohol at their home, had sex with the intern after she was drunk, and then showed her an email threatening but saying it would be okay if the incident kept silent.

Slaton also asked a fellow lawmaker to keep his conduct confidential, the House General Inquiry Committee report noted.

The chairman of the investigative panel, Representative Andrew Murr, said he still plans to call a vote to expel Slaton because he remains a state official until his successor is elected and sworn in.

Slaton’s resignation letter made no mention of the allegations, which his lawyer previously called “outrageous” and “false”.

Slaton said it was an honor to serve in the legislature from his East Texas district and thanked his colleagues.

“I look forward to spending more time with my young family and will continue to seek to serve my community and all citizens across our wonderful state,” he wrote.

State Republican leaders welcomed his departure and said House members should be held accountable for misconduct.

“The misconduct described in the Joint Commission of Inquiry Report is never tolerated and is an appropriate basis for expulsion,” party officials said in a statement. “These actions betrayed the trust the people of Representative Slaton’s district had in him as an elected official, and he rightfully resigned.”

Slaton’s legislative biography describes him as a holder of values ​​and principles shaped by church and family gatherings. It also cites his degree from a Baptist seminary and work as a youth pastor.

The misconduct investigation began after two 19-year-old legislative aides and a 21-year-old legislative intern filed complaints in April.

Two of the women said they tried to discourage the intern from spending time with Slaton and deemed his behavior inappropriate. But the intern, whom one complainant described as “naive,” agreed to Slaton’s request to visit his apartment. According to reports, other women were with her, and the legislator served them alcohol.

The investigative report noted that one of the young women drank to the point of vomiting and the others were so drunk that they were dizzy and had “blurred vision”.

The two women eventually left but the intern stayed, according to reports. She told friends that Slaton drove her home the next morning, stopping at a pharmacy for her to buy emergency contraception.

The Associated Press found that between 2017 and 2021, at least 120 state legislators in 41 states faced public charges of sexual misconduct or harassment. They often run for re-election and get re-elected, and attempts to remove them are rarer.



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