State Representatives unanimously voted to expel North Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City, District 2) from the Texas House by a vote of 147-0 on Tuesday.
Slaton, 45, who labeled himself a Christian Conservative Republican on his Twitter profile, was accused of sexual misconduct with a 19-year-old aide and of providing her with "a lot of alcohol" that made her feel "really dizzy." Slaton resigned on May 8 ahead of the expulsion vote but admitted no wrongdoing in a resignation letter sent to Gov. Greg Abbott.
"My decision today is to ensure that their expectations will continue to be met by a new representative who will also work hard on their behalf," Slaton wrote.
In an 18-page report released Saturday, the Texas House Committee on General Investigating unanimously recommended Slaton be expelled from the Texas House due to "grave and serious" behavior. The committee found Slaton violated House rules by engaging in inappropriate workplace conduct with a staffer, specifically sexual harassment and retaliation.
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Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Junction, District 53), Chair of the House General Investigating Committee, said in a statement Monday that he intended to still call for the expulsion vote because Slaton was still an officer of the state even though he had resigned. That vote was held on Tuesday and members of the Texas House voted unanimously 147-0 to remove Slaton from the chamber. His ouster was the first for the House since 1927.
After the vote, his biography page was scrubbed from the state's online roster and his name was physically removed from the House chamber.
Slaton was not present for the vote on Tuesday.
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Republican Party of Texas Chairman Matt Rinaldi confirmed Slaton resigned from the House on Monday. In a statement, Rinaldi said Slaton's misconduct "should never be tolerated and is proper grounds for expulsion."
"The Republican Party of Texas commends the Texas House for responding swiftly and appropriately to the reprehensible actions of Representative Slaton. The misconduct described in the General Investigative Committee Report should never be tolerated and is proper grounds for expulsion," Rinaldi said. "These actions have betrayed the trust that the people of Representative Slaton's district put in him as an elected official, and he has rightly resigned. We are encouraged that this investigation signals that the House has entered a new era of accountability where all members will be held to the same fair and high standards."
According to NBC News, neither Slaton nor his lawyer have responded to requests for comment. The attorney previously said the allegations against Slaton, which came from three female staffers who were between the ages of 19 and 21, were "outrageous" and "false."
Slaton has a tweet pinned to the top of his Twitter page highlighting legislation filed this session targeting drag shows citing the need to protect children from sexual exploitation. Slaton has filed nearly 60 bills this session on a wide variety of topics including child abuse, child pornography, the enforcement of laws by county attorneys, abortion restrictions, secession and property tax.
According to his bio on the Texas House website, which was removed on Tuesday, before joining the Texas House in 2020 Slaton double majored in youth ministry/speech communication at Ouachita University before earning a master's of divinity with biblical languages from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served in the ministry as a youth and family minister for 13 years.
