Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) was dining Tuesday night at the Tune Inn in Washington, D.C., with a friend and Reese Gorman, a reporter for NOTUS, when he was reportedly accosted by an intoxicated William Paul, the son of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
NOTUS reported that Paul began directing antisemitic remarks at Lawler. Apparently under the mistaken belief that the congressman is Jewish, Paul told Lawler that if Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) loses his primary next week, “your people” will be to blame.
[Note: Massie and Paul’s father, both libertarian-leaning Republicans from Kentucky, are close allies. A new poll shows Massie in danger of losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, as I reported on Wednesday.]
From NOTUS:
“My people?” Lawler asked Paul.“Yeah, you Jews,” Paul responded.“Do you think I’m Jewish?” Lawler asked. “I’m not.”“Oh wow, I’m so sorry for calling you a Jew,” Paul said.
He then continued on a tirade about how Jews were “anti-American” and how Lawler and his “Jewish supporters” served Israel more than America. Lawler repeatedly pushed back and engaged with Paul, defending his support of Israel, and told Paul he was being antisemitic.“Paul Singer serves Israeli interests, not American interests,” Paul said, referring to the GOP megadonor who is helping bankroll an anti-Massie super PAC. Singer is Jewish.Restore Freedom PAC, a pro-Massie super PAC, has run an ad titled “LGBTQ Mafia” that had a picture of Singer with a rainbow Star of David behind him. Massie, a close ally of Sen. Paul in Kentucky’s delegation, is in a tight race against a Trump-backed primary challenger.
Paul reportedly told Lawler he “needs to watch more Tucker Carlson” and that Massie and his father “were the only lawmakers who care about the U.S.”
Finally, Lawler tried to end the conversation saying, “Well, you just seem to hate Jews, so there’s no point arguing anymore.”
According to the report, Paul replied, “Don’t put words in my mouth, Mike Lawler, I never said that.”
At that point, Lawler asked him to leave them alone and Paul responded with the middle finger. Aghast over the gesture, Lawler asked, “Did you just give me the middle finger?”
“I’m sorry, yeah, I did. I’m just really drunk. I’m going to leave,” he replied.
Mercifully, Paul did leave the restaurant. But not before he “knocked his barstool down and tripped over it.”
The following afternoon, Paul posted an online apology addressed to Lawler, Gorman, and Josh Christenson, the Washington bureau chief for the New York Post, whom I assume was the “friend” referenced above.
He wrote: “Last night, I had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am. I’m sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem.”
A community note attached to the post read, “Context needed: the specific things William Paul said while drunk included saying that if Rep Thomas Massie loses his primary it would be caused by Jews, and saying that “he hates Jews, hates gays and doesn’t care if they die.”
The note directed readers to CBS News’ coverage of the story.
This wasn’t the first time Paul’s drinking had landed him in hot water. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence following a car accident. The Associated Press noted that his father was seeking the Republican presidential nomination at the time.
In 2013, he was arrested for assaulting a flight attendant. The charges were ultimately dropped.
NOTUS reported that Paul has “previously worked for the conservative organization FreedomWorks and worked for multiple members of Congress up until last summer, according to Legistorm.”
Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey addressed this incident in his “Wednesday’s Final Word” column:
This is insane, not to mention idiotic. However, anyone familiar with his grandfather [former Texas congressman Ron Paul] Ron’s newsletters cannot be surprised by this. Jamie Kirchick did extensive research on his record in 2008. I’m hoping it skipped a generation with Rand, who has been remarkably disciplined and has rarely made reference to his father’s fringe following. And you’d better believe we should call this out just as much as we call out Democrats, with the caveat that William Paul isn’t in office or running for one.
Paul’s apology may close the immediate controversy, but the incident has already attracted broader attention because of both the nature of the remarks and his family’s political prominence.
Regardless of the apology, the incident is likely to linger because it touched multiple political fault lines at once: antisemitism, divisions within the Republican Party, and especially the contentious, closely watched upcoming congressional primary in Kentucky.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn.
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