Attorney General Ken Paxton also called for the House Investigating Committee to look into Speaker Dade Phelan, a fellow Republican.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday called for the resignation of the top lawmaker in the state House of Representatives, accusing fellow Republican Dade Phelan of being “in a state of apparent debilitating intoxication” while presiding over the legislature late last week.
Paxton’s comments Tuesday appear to be referring to a video that seems to show Phelan moving slowly and speaking unclearly on Saturday, after what local television station KXAN said was “the end of a 14-hour day” at the House.
Paxton, who settled a corruption case in February brought by former aides for $3.3 million, did not immediately provide evidence to support his claim against Phelan, and his office did not respond to requests for it Tuesday.
The attorney general also called for the Texas House Committee on General Investigating to investigate Phelan for having been “in an obviously intoxicated state.”
Cait Wittman, a spokeswoman for Phelan, said in a statement that Paxton’s move is “a last ditch effort to save face” amid his own legal problems.
Wittman said the committee has been investigating Paxton’s office since March “and the motives for and timing behind Paxton’s statement today couldn’t be more evident.
