AUSTIN, Texas - Attorney General Ken Paxton is calling on Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign, saying the Republican from Beaumont was "in an obviously intoxicated state" while presiding over the House.But Paxton's call for Phelan's resignation comes as a House committee revealed it's investigating Paxton and his office over a push to use taxpayer money to pay off his settlement with a group of whistleblowers.So far, the attorney general is the highest state official calling for Phelan to resign.
Phelan's office fired back, saying a committee is investigating Paxton's office, and they said his comments were an attempt to "save face."Video from the House floor at the end of a 14-hour session on Friday night showed Phelan appearing to slur his words on the House floor while debating an amendment to a Senate bill.
The video quickly went viral online over the weekend.Paxton, who is also a Republican, issued a statement on Tuesday about the incident:"After much consideration, it is with profound disappointment that I call on Speaker Dade Phelan to resign at the end of this legislative session.
Texans were dismayed to witness his performance presiding over the Texas House in a state of apparent debilitating intoxication.