Really gross and inappropriate if true.
Rep. Bryan Slaton
A Capitol staffer alleged in an internal complaint that state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, had “sexual relations” with an intern two weeks ago.
The new details of the allegation come from the complaint filed by a legislative staffer to the House General Investigating Committee. Earlier this week, The Texas Tribune reviewed excerpts of the complaint, which alleged that Slaton, 45, was having an “inappropriate relationship” with an intern who is under the age of 21. The complaint said Slaton called her after 10 p.m. on March 31 and invited her to his Austin apartment.
The Tribune has since obtained the full version of the complaint, which states the intern disclosed that she had sexual relations with Slaton that night.
Another Capitol staffer with direct knowledge of the situation corroborated the complaint and said that Slaton and the intern drank alcohol together. Slaton, one of the most far-right social conservatives of the Legislature, has been married to his wife since 2017.
The complaint alleges that sometime after the night at his condo, Slaton brought the intern into an office and flirted with her again. The same day, Slaton allegedly showed the intern emails from his personal account that accused him of having sex with a staffer, according to the complaint. The staffer believed Slaton wrote the emails as a test to see if she would report him. Slaton told her and her friends to keep quiet, according to the report.
Slaton and his attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday evening. Earlier this week, Slaton’s attorney issued a statement calling allegations against his client “outrageous” and “false.”
Julie Springer, an attorney for the intern, also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Texas Tribune is not identifying the intern.
See here and here for the background. If true, this is the sort of thing that ought to get someone’s ass thrown out of the Legislature, as there’s no way for it to be anything but abusive given the power differential. The hypocrisy angle adds to it, though at this point I have no idea how anyone outside that movement can see anyone like Bryan Slaton as a moral agent. If I thought that the shame or the stigma might move Slaton to resign, or the Republican primary voters in his district to vote him out, I might be willing to let events take their course. But as things stand, I’m rooting for the committee to return a recommendation that he be subject to an expulsion vote.
Note, by the way, that while we don’t have all the facts yet, this isn’t a criminal proceeding. As such, the terms “presumption of innocence” and “beyond a reasonable doubt” don’t have the meaning they would in that context. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, and I’m happy to let the committee do its work. But anyone is entitled right now to think that Slaton is a scumbag.