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Sen. Rand Paul's son walked up to Rep. Mike Lawler at a Washington bar Tuesday night, told him that Jewish people were responsible for a Republican primary fight in Kentucky, and said he hates Jews and gays and does not care if they die, according to Lawler's account reported Wednesday by CBS News.
Lawler, a Republican from New York, said he was having dinner with a friend and a reporter from the news outlet NOTUS at the Tune Inn in Washington when William Paul approached him uninvited. NOTUS first reported the encounter.
Lawler said Paul began the confrontation by telling him that if Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican locked in a tight primary against a Trump-backed challenger, loses the race, it would be because of "my people." Rand Paul and his son are both from Kentucky.
Lawler said he asked Paul to clarify who he meant.
"And he yelled out, 'Jews,'" Lawler told reporters. "And I asked him, 'You think I'm Jewish?' And he said, 'Yes.'"
Lawler said he told Paul he was not Jewish. According to Lawler, Paul responded, "Oh, I'm sorry to accuse you of that."
The confrontation did not stop there. Lawler said Paul then launched into a "10-minute diatribe about Israel, about Jews, about [Jewish GOP megadonor] Paul Singer and accusing Jews of being responsible for so many things, playing right into the typical antisemitic tropes that so many people rely on." Lawler said Paul also declared that he "hates Jews, hates gays and doesn't care if they die."
Lawler described Paul as "inebriated" throughout the exchange. He said the interaction ended when Paul gave him the middle finger before tripping on his way out of the door.
Lawler said he had never met William Paul before that night and had not spoken to the senator in the aftermath.
When reporters asked Rand Paul about the incident Wednesday, he said, "I don't have anything for you on that." He did not respond when asked whether he planned to reach out to Lawler.
William Paul posted an apology to Lawler on X later Wednesday. "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," he wrote.
