The Texas Republican Party passed a resolution Saturday demanding Dade Phelan resign from his position as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.
Members of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) approved the resolution during a quarterly meeting in Corpus Christi. The resolution argues Phelan (R-Beaumont) should resign because he “voted for the impeachment of Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton and through his leadership team pressured other House members to vote for the impeachment as well,” reported the Texas Scorecard.
“Speaker Dade Phelan appointed nine (9) Democrats to chair important legislative committees, in direct defiance of the wishes of Republican voters and the Legislative Priorities of the Republican Party of Texas,” the resolution reads. “…Phelan ignored or actively undermined several GOP priorities during the regular session, failing to prioritize legislation to secure our borders and elections.”
The resolution went on to call for new leadership in the House, claiming a leadership change was necessary to make sure members were not pressured to act contrary to Republican principles or the state party’s platform.
“[T]he Republican Party of Texas calls on Speaker Dade Phelan to step down from his leadership role as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and to allow a new Speaker to be elected after a caucus vote in accordance with the Republican Party of Texas Platform,” the resolution reads.
“[S]hould Speaker Dade Phelan fail to step down from the Speaker chair for this upcoming special session, the Republican representatives should vote to vacate the chair and allow for a new Speaker who has pledged to honor and support the priorities and principles of the Republican Party to be elected,” the resolution concludes.
The resolution passed in a 58-2 vote. As reported by The Dallas Express, other Texas Republicans and former President Donald Trump have previously called for Phelan to step down.
In an op-ed published last week in the Beaumont Enterprise, Phelan defended his decision to support Paxton’s impeachment.
“[T]he evidence against Paxton, presented to our chamber after a months-long investigation into allegations involving bribery, deceit and other types of disturbing misconduct, was more than damning, and our chamber overwhelmingly agreed that a further examination of the facts was merited,” he claimed.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick later responded to Phelan’s characterization of the Senate, claiming Phelan “orchestrated the House process from the outset.”
“Phelan believed if the Senate convicts, the House was right — if the Senate acquits, then the Senate is corrupt,” Patrick alleged.