Republican Senator Rand Paul's son, William Paul, extended a public apology on Wednesday for a drunken outburst at a Washington DC bar where, witnesses report, he told a Republican congressman that he "hates Jews and hates gays."
"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," William Paul posted on social media under the handle TastyBrew1776. The apology appeared minutes after Congressman Mike Lawler informed reporters that the senator's son had accosted him at the Tune Inn Restaurant & Bar on Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday night, delivering a "10-minute diatribe about Jews" and declaring his hatred for Jews and gays, adding he didn't care if they died. Lawler called the outburst "fucking disgusting."
The incident, first detailed by witness Reese Gorman of digital publication Notus, included Paul blaming Israel for the US war on Iran and claiming the US was "trying to steal Iran's land for the Jews and steal the West Bank." The younger Paul, who previously served as a congressional aide to two of Lawler's Republican colleagues, also reportedly told Lawler that Paul Singer, a Republican billionaire donor who is Jewish and supports gay rights, "serves Israeli interests, not American interests." Singer is backing primary challenger Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL endorsed by Donald Trump, against incumbent Congressman Thomas Massie - an ally of Rand Paul. A pro-Massie ad recently attacked Gallrein as "bought and paid for by the LGBTQ mafia," featuring Singer in front of a rainbow-colored Star of David.
After Lawler noted he wasn't Jewish, Paul allegedly apologized for calling him a Jew, then urged Lawler to "watch more Tucker Carlson" before flipping off the congressman and tripping over his bar stool as he left. William Paul has been charged multiple times for drunken assault or driving. His LinkedIn profile indicates he recently attended a Christian Employers Alliance conference in San Diego; his profile photo shows him pointing approvingly at a statue of Barry Goldwater, whose grandfather was an Orthodox Jew.