North Dakota Republican leaders call on state lawmaker to resign
A slew of North Dakota Republican leaders are calling on a state lawmaker to resign following reports that he made homophobic and xenophobic comments toward an officer during a DUI stop earlier this month.
State Rep. Nico Rios (R) was pulled over on Dec. 15 for not staying in his lane and was arrested on drunk driving charges, The Associated Press reported.
Calling on Rios to resign on Tuesday, Republican state House Majority Leader Mike Lefor pointed to the police officer’s report, which stated the lawmaker was “verbally abusive, homophobic, racially abusive and discriminatory,” toward the officer, the AP reported.
“There is no room in the legislature, or our party, for this behavior. I understand people make mistakes, but his comments and defiance to law enforcement are beyond the pale. In addition, any lawmaker attempting to use his or her elected position to threaten anyone or skirt the law is completely unacceptable,” Lefor said in a statement, according to the AP.
The offices for Lefor or Rios did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
North Dakota Republican Party Chair Sandi Sanford echoed Lefor’s comments, saying Rios’s “actions and words fall short of the basic decency we expect from any of our neighbors. He endangered the community he was elected to serve and disrespected peace officers. This violates our core values as Republicans.”
Rios earlier this week said his behavior was unacceptable, apologized and pledged “to make sure this never happens again.”
“I owe it to myself, my district, and everyone and I vow to make sure this never happens again,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Moving forward after this night I feel like I have to emphasize my complete and total commitment to supporting Law Enforcement. I messed up big time and I am truly sorry.”
Police body camera footage obtained by the AP showed Rios cursing at the office, questioning his English accent and spewing out homophobic slurs and anti-migrant language, the news wire reported. He also reportedly said he would call the North Dakota attorney general about the incident and noted the officers would “regret picking on me because you don’t know who … I am.”
Rios told authorities he was leaving a Christmas party when he was stopped by police. He is facing misdemeanor counts of drunken driving and refusing to provide a chemical test.
Rios, who works in an oil field position, was first elected in 2022 to North Dakota’s House of Representatives, which is currently controlled by Republicans in an 82-12 split.
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