Texas House unanimously expels lawmaker accused of sexual misconduct 

The Texas state House voted unanimously Tuesday to expel a lawmaker who had been accused of sexual misconduct, just a day after he resigned from his seat.

The chamber voted 147-0, with no abstentions, to expel state Rep. Bryan Slaton (R), according to unofficial totals from the House legislative tracker.

A House panel over the weekend recommended that Slaton be expelled for the allegations of sexual misconduct with a 19-year-old intern. He reportedly resigned Monday.

The Texas House General Investigative Committee had found 45-year-old Slaton, who is married, gave the 19-year-old and another staffer alcohol at his apartment and had sex with the intern after she was intoxicated. He then told the intern and a fellow lawmaker to keep the matter quiet, according to the report.

“Slaton’s misconduct is grave and serious. He took advantage of his position to engage in
sexual conduct after completing training in which he had been advised that conduct of this type was harassment because of the power imbalance,” the panel wrote. “The fact that Slaton has not expressed regret or remorse for his conduct is also egregious and unwarranted.”

Texas state Rep. Ann Johnson (D) slammed Slaton before the vote, saying the lawmakers had “no choice” but to vote on expulsion.

“We fear the dark alley, the idea of the perpetrator there with a gun or a knife, but it is this type of man that steals innocence. It is this man not worthy of the position of trust, much less power. This is a man that stains the institution so many of us honor,” she said, per footage from The Recount.