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Slaton married his second and current wife in 2017;<ref>https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/04/bryan-slaton-hearing-general-investigating-texas-legislature/</ref> who filed for divorce in April 2022 then withdrew it in November 2022.<ref name=Svitek>{{cite news |last1=Despart |first1=Zach |last2=Barragan |first2=James |last3=Svitek |first3=Patrick |title=Complaint alleges Rep. Bryan Slaton had "inappropriate relationship" with an intern |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/10/bryan-slaton-texas-legislature-ethics-criminal-attorney/ |access-date=May 7, 2023 |work=[[The Texas Tribune]] |date=April 10, 2023}}</ref>
Slaton married his second and current wife in 2017;<ref>https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/04/bryan-slaton-hearing-general-investigating-texas-legislature/</ref> who filed for divorce in April 2022 then withdrew it in November 2022.<ref name=Svitek>{{cite news |last1=Despart |first1=Zach |last2=Barragan |first2=James |last3=Svitek |first3=Patrick |title=Complaint alleges Rep. Bryan Slaton had "inappropriate relationship" with an intern |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/10/bryan-slaton-texas-legislature-ethics-criminal-attorney/ |access-date=May 7, 2023 |work=[[The Texas Tribune]] |date=April 10, 2023}}</ref>


== Inappropriate relationship controversy ==
== Sexual Assault controversy ==
On April 10, 2023, a complaint surfaced alleging Slaton had an "inappropriate relationship" with an intern the previous month.<ref name=Svitek/> The next day, two fellow Republican members of the House and one Democrat called on him to resign.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barragan |first1=James |title=Two GOP Texas House members call for Rep. Bryan Slaton to resign |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/11/bryan-slaton-resign-texas-legislature/ |access-date=12 April 2023 |date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
On April 10, 2023, a complaint surfaced alleging Slaton had an "inappropriate relationship" with an intern the previous month.<ref name=Svitek/> The next day, two fellow Republican members of the House and one Democrat called on him to resign.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barragan |first1=James |title=Two GOP Texas House members call for Rep. Bryan Slaton to resign |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/11/bryan-slaton-resign-texas-legislature/ |access-date=12 April 2023 |date=11 April 2023}}</ref>


Revision as of 05:08, 10 May 2023

Bryan Slaton
Slaton at the 2022 Hazlitt Summit hosted by Young Americans for Liberty Foundation
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 2nd district
In office
January 12, 2021 – May 8, 2023
Preceded byDan Flynn
Succeeded byTBD
Personal details
Born (1978-02-02) February 2, 1978 (age 46)
Mineola, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseSharmen
Children2
Residence(s)Royse City, Texas, U.S.
Alma materOuachita Baptist University (BA)
University of North Texas (BA)
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.)
OccupationPastor; Financial Services
Websitehttps://bryanslaton.com/

Bryan Lee Slaton (born February 2, 1978)[1] is a former pastor and American politician. Slaton represented the 2nd District in the Texas House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Slaton also works for his family business, Slaton Financial Services.


On May 9, 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted unanimously to expel Slaton as a member, the first such action of that kind since 1927. On May 8, 2023, he resigned his House membership, but absent being expelled, he would have technically continued to be a House member and to draw his salary and other benefits until a successor could be elected.[2] Slaton's expulsion was unanimously recommended by the Texas House Committee on General Investigating, which concluded after an investigation that in one incident on March 31 or April 1, 2023, Slaton provided alcohol to, and had sex with a 19-year old female legislative aide under his employ, who "was unable to give effective consent".[2] The committee also concluded that Slaton later showed a threatening email to his aide and told her not to discuss the incident, and similarly Slaton asked another lawmaker not to discuss the incident.[3]

Early life, education, and career

Slaton was born in Mineola, Texas.[4] He attended Ouachita Baptist University, where he received a BA in youth ministry and speech communication. He then attended University of North Texas and earned a degree in accounting.[4] Slaton later earned a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.[4] He served in the ministry as a youth and family minister for 13 years, for three of those years at River Hills Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas.[4] Bryan works for his brother's small business, Slaton Financial Services.[4]

Career

In 2016, Slaton filed to run against incumbent state representative Dan Flynn. On March 1, 2016, Slaton narrowly lost to the incumbent in the Republican primary. Flynn polled 14,917 votes (51 percent) to Slaton's 14,336 (49 percent).[5] In 2018, Slaton decided to take on the incumbent again. In the 2018 primary election, Flynn defeated Slaton again, 11,803 (51.7 percent) to 11,013 (48.3 percent).

However, on July 14, 2020, Slaton defeated Flynn by a 22-point margin in the Republican primary runoff, forcing the incumbent into a runoff election.[6][7] Slaton ran to Flynn's right.[8] Slaton criticized Flynn for unnecessary and superfluous spending.[9] He sent out mail which pointed out Flynn's campaign-funded lifestyle expenses such as nearly $14,000 in spending on cookies and using his campaign fund to pay for a Netflix subscription.[9] Slaton campaigned on abolishing property taxes, ending overly broad laws that give government excess power during emergencies, and pledging to oppose any tax increase.[9]

In March 2021, Slaton introduced a bill that would abolish abortion and make it a criminal act, whereby women and physicians who received and performed abortions, respectively, could receive the death penalty. The bill made no exceptions for rape or incest; it did provide exemptions for ectopic pregnancies that threaten the life of the woman "when a reasonable alternative to save the lives of both the mother and the unborn child is unavailable."[10]

In June 2022, Slaton said in a social media post that he planned to introduce legislation in the 2023 legislative session that would ban minors from drag shows in Texas.[11] Slaton declared in an interview that year: "Children don't need to be focused on sex and sexualization, and we need to let them just grow up to be children and let them do that as they’re getting closer to being an adult".[12]

Slaton supports a ban on Democrats being given committee chairmanships as long as the Republicans hold the majority of seats in the Texas House.[13] On December 6, 2022, Slaton proposed a rule change to the Texas House Administration Committee that would end Democrats receiving committee chairmanships. On February 27, 2023, Slaton introduced HB 2889, which would allow a tax credit for married residents of Texas that would increase as the number of children increases, either by procreation or adoption.[14]

On March 6, 2023, Slaton introduced HB 3596, the "Texas Independence Referendum Act" (TEXIT),[15] which would allow for a referendum to investigate the secession of Texas from the U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court case Texas v. White ruled in 1869 that the Constitution did not permit states to unilaterally secede from the United States.[16]

Personal life

Slaton married his second and current wife in 2017;[17] who filed for divorce in April 2022 then withdrew it in November 2022.[18]

Sexual Assault controversy

On April 10, 2023, a complaint surfaced alleging Slaton had an "inappropriate relationship" with an intern the previous month.[18] The next day, two fellow Republican members of the House and one Democrat called on him to resign.[19]

The incident was investigated by the House Committee on General Investigating,[20] which published a report on May 6, 2023, unanimously recommending Slaton's expulsion from the House, and detailing that he had committed the crimes of providing alcohol to a minor, abuse of official capacity, and official oppression.[21] The committee found that Slaton had invited a 19-year-old aide to his home at around 10 p.m. on March 30, 2023, stating that he "did not want to drink by himself." Her friends accompanied her as a "protective measure," with their presence surprising Slaton.[22] At his home, Slaton provided alcohol to all of them. She testified that she drank a "lot of alcohol," felt "pretty rough" and "really dizzy."[22] When the friends left Slaton's home and attempted to get up to leave as well, Slaton told her that she "did not have to leave if she did not want to," and she stayed.[22] She later testified that this was "an inappropriate situation ... because I had too much to drink."[22] Another Texas House legislative aide testified that the aide told her she had unprotected sex with Slaton. The report further details that the aide bought the Plan B emergency contraceptive the next day.[21][22]

The committee stated that according to testimony, Slaton had showed his aide an email that said, "I know you’re sleeping with a staffer. Can you really trust those 20-year-old girls? She owns you now."[22] Slaton's aide testified that the email made her "really fearful that I would potentially lose my job," and that Slaton told her, "Everything would be fine. Everyone involved just has to stay quiet."[22] Slaton's aide testified her belief that the email came from Slaton's financial services email account.[21]

The committee stated that Slaton did not deny the allegation of having sex with the aide; Slaton and his attorney did not provide any evidence that contradicted the allegations; and Slaton's attorney had advocated that the complaints against Slaton should be rejected because the alleged behavior occurred in Slaton's home, not in Slaton's workplace.[21][22] The committee detailed that another Texas House Representative had called Slaton to ask if Slaton "invited a young staffer to your condo and you guys had sex," to which Slaton replied, "Yes, that's true." Later on, Slaton requested that the other Representative keep the details of the call "between us."[21]

House resolution 1542 to expel him was scheduled for a vote on May 9, 2023.[23] However, on May 8, 2023, Slaton resigned his seat.[24] Nevertheless, based on a memo by the General Investigating Committee that notwithstanding his resignation, Texas law and court opinions still considered Slaton as a House Member entitled to benefits of the office "until his successor is duly qualified," and therefore expulsion was necessary. The House voted 147-0 to expel him.[25]

References

  1. ^ "Bryan Slaton's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Autullo, Ryan (May 9, 2023). "Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton resigns after giving alcohol to, having sex with 19-year-old aide". USA Today. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  3. ^ Vertuno, Jim (May 8, 2023). "Texas lawmaker resigns ahead of misconduct expulsion vote". Associated Press. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e About Bryan, Bryan Slaton for Texas campaign. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "Republican primary returns". Texas Secretary of State. March 1, 2016. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Pollock, Cassandra & Reese Oxner. Three Texas House incumbents — Bryan Slaton, Anna Eastman and J.D. Sheffield — lose in primary runoffs, Texas Tribune, July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  7. ^ Rowen, Ben. Roundup: Texas Primary Runoffs 2020, Texas Monthly, July 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Haslet, Mark. Dan Flynn, Bryan Slaton Compete In July 14 GOP Primary Runoff, Texas Standard, July 9, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Waltens, Brandon. Runoff Review: Incumbent Dan Flynn Faces Bryan Slaton Head-To-Head, Texas Scorecard, May 2, 2020.
  10. ^ Najmabadi, Shannon (March 11, 2021). "Another Texas GOP Lawmaker Is Attempting to Make Abortion Punishable by the Death Penalty". News 19/WLTX. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  11. ^ Will DuPree, Nexstar Media Wire (June 6, 2022). "Texas lawmaker proposes banning drag shows in presence of minors". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  12. ^ Rodriguez, Olga; Swenson, Ali (June 19, 2022). "Drag story hour hosts, under attack, dig in their heels". Associated Press. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  13. ^ Johnson, Brad. The Back Mic: Legislators Opposed to Democratic Chairs Listed, Rep. Moody Quells DA Appointment Rumors, House Rules Discussed, The Texan, December 9, 2022.
  14. ^ HB 2889
  15. ^ Texas House Bill 3596. TX State Legislature page for HB3596. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Ramirez, Nikki McCann (March 6, 2023). "Texas Republican Introduces Bill Calling for Vote on Secession". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  17. ^ https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/04/bryan-slaton-hearing-general-investigating-texas-legislature/
  18. ^ a b Despart, Zach; Barragan, James; Svitek, Patrick (April 10, 2023). "Complaint alleges Rep. Bryan Slaton had "inappropriate relationship" with an intern". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  19. ^ Barragan, James (April 11, 2023). "Two GOP Texas House members call for Rep. Bryan Slaton to resign". Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  20. ^ The Committee consists of five members, three Republicans (including the chair) and two Democrats (including the vice chair), all appointed by the Speaker.
  21. ^ a b c d e Despart, Zach; Downey, Renzo (May 6, 2023). "Texas House committee recommends expelling Rep. Bryan Slaton". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h Goldenstein, Taylor; Scherer, Jasper (May 6, 2023). "House panel calls for expulsion of Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton, accused of inappropriate sexual conduct". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  23. ^ "HR 1542" (PDF). texas.gov. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  24. ^ "North Texas lawmaker resigns after investigation finds he engaged in sexual misconduct". Dallas News. May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  25. ^ The three members not voting were Slaton (who was absent), Sherman (who had previously been excused from attendance), and Davis (who was absent).

External links

Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
from the 2nd district
2021–2023 		Vacant
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bryan_Slaton&oldid=1154085970"