Republican Texas state House member Bryan Slaton, a former Baptist minister who last month introduced a bill to run a referendum vote asking Texans if they want the state to secede from the US, has been accused of an “inappropriate relationship” with an intern in a complaint filed to a House Investigating Committee, alleging Slaton had the under-21 intern come to his Austin condo where he plied her with drinks and God knows what else happened, the Texas Tribune reports.
Slaton’s been MIA the past few days and missed work on Thursday during a crucial budget debate session, his absence sticking out particularly because he had proposed 27 amendments to the budget. “The Texas House does not tolerate misconduct or other inappropriate behaviors and takes all allegations related to these issues seriously. I expect this matter to be addressed in a swift and thorough manner under the rules governing our chamber for the 88th Legislature and all applicable standards of conduct,” said Speaker Dade Phelan, who isn’t a fan of the far right zealot Slaton.