North Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City, District 2) resigned Monday ahead of an expulsion vote over alleged sexual misconduct with an aide but the vote to remove him from the House is expected to go forward on Tuesday anyway.
Slaton, 45, who has labeled himself a Christian Conservative Republican on his Twitter profile, has been accused of sexual misconduct with a 19-year-old aid and of providing her with "a lot of alcohol" that made her feel "really dizzy."
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, specifically sexual harassment and retaliation.
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."
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"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."
Slaton has not yet issued a public statement but did send a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott announcing his resignation (scroll down to read the letter). In it, Slaton said it was an honor to represent the district and said he looks forward to spending time with his young family but he made no reference to the misconduct allegation or the expulsion vote.
"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.
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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, 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.
EXPULSION VOTE TO GO FORWARD
Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Junction, District 53), Chair of the House General Investigating Committee, said in a statement Monday that he still intends to call for the expulsion vote because Slaton is still an officer of the state even though he's resigned.
“It remains my intent to call up House Resolution 1542 to expel Representative Slaton from the Texas House of Representatives on May 9, 2023. Though Representative Slaton has submitted his resignation from office, under Texas law he is considered to be an officer of this state until a successor is elected and takes the oath of office to represent Texas House District 2.”
