Sen. Rand Paul's son accused of drunken, antisemitic tirade at DC bar
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's son apologized after the incident, which occurred in front of a reporter, saying he is "seeking help" for his "drinking problem."
Zachary SchermeleWASHINGTON – The son of a prominent Republican senator apologized May 13 after a GOP congressman said he verbally accosted him with antisemitic slurs in front of a reporter at a Capitol Hill bar.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York, said that William Paul, the son of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, approached him on the night of May 12 at the Tune Inn Restaurant and Bar. The Republican congressman said that the senator's son warned him that if Thomas Massie, another GOP lawmaker from Kentucky, were to lose his upcoming primary election, it would be because of Lawler's "people."
When Lawler asked him to clarify, William Paul yelled out, "Jews."
"He then went on a roughly 10-minute diatribe about Israel, about Jews," Lawler, who is not Jewish, told reporters on the steps of the Capitol the next day, "and at one point said that he hates Jews and hates gays and doesn't care if they die."
It all occurred directly in front of a reporter for the news outlet NOTUS, which first reported on the incident.
William Paul, who is also the grandson of former Republican Rep. Ron Paul, of Texas, has worked for Republican Reps. Mike Collins of Georgia and Alex Mooney of West Virginia. He previously worked for conservative advocacy groups FreedomWorks and Americans for Tax Reform.
In a subsequent social media post, William Paul apologized for his behavior but did not specifically address what the congressman accused him of saying.
"Last night, I had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am," he wrote on X. "I’m sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem."
A spokesperson for Sen. Rand Paul did not immediately return a request for comment from USA TODAY.
It's not the first time the libertarian-leaning senator's son has caused problems for his father. In 2015, USA TODAY reported that he faced a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol following a collision in Lexington. He later pleaded guilty in the incident.
Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.