A son of Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul drunkenly accosted New York Rep. Mike Lawler in a Washington, D.C. bar on Tuesday night.
William Paul, the 33-year-old grandson of libertarian former presidential candidate Ron Paul, approached Lawler, also a Republican, about Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie’s primary election next Tuesday, according to a NOTUS reporter who had been talking with Lawler at the bar.
Paul, the report says, told Lawler that a Massie loss would result from “you people.”
Lawler seemed surprised.
“My people?” he responded.
“You, you Jews,” Paul answered, prompting Lawler to tell him that he wasn’t Jewish.
“Oh wow, I’m so sorry for calling you a Jew,” Paul then said.
Paul wasn’t done there.
Jews, he went on, were “anti-American,” adding that Lawler and his “Jewish supporters” prioritized Israel over the U.S.
Lawler, according to the report, defended his support of Israel, and said Paul’s comments were antisemitic.
Paul then talked about Jewish GOP megadonor Paul Singer’s funding of a super PAC aiming to defeat Massie.
“Paul Singer serves Israeli interests, not American interests,” Paul reportedly said, before telling Lawler that he “needs to watch more Tucker Carlson.” Paul added that the only lawmakers who cared about the U.S. were his father and Massie.
Republican Massie, like Sen. Paul, has been a frequent thorn in President Donald Trump’s side. He helped lead the congressional effort to force Trump to release the Epstein files, and voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer. He is running against Trump-endorsed farmer and retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.
For his part, Sen. Paul on Wednesday voted with Senate Democrats—and two other Republicans—to end the Iran war unless Congress authorizes more action.
Eventually, Lawler attempted to wrap things up.
“Well, you just seem to hate Jews, so there’s no point arguing anymore,” he said, at which point Paul put his finger in the lawmaker’s face and accused him of putting words in his mouth.
“Don’t put words in my mouth, Mike Lawler, I never said that.”
When Paul began criticizing Lawler’s effort to raise the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) cap last year, Lawler requested that he leave him alone. Paul turned around, but then flipped off Lawler.
When Lawler asked him about it, Paul admitted: “I’m sorry, yeah, I did. I’m just really drunk. I’m going to leave.”
Paul then paid, but while leaving knocked down and tripped over his barstool, NOTUS reported.
On Wednesday afternoon, Paul, whose X handle is “TastyBrew1776,” addressed the matter.
“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,” he wrote, tagging Lawler.
Lawler, in a video posted to X by Courthouse News reporter Benjamin Weiss about twenty minutes before, said Paul’s outburst was “reprehensible.” Lawler also recapped what happened to a Meidas Touch reporter, labeling Paul as “belligerent and drunk.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Sen. Paul and Rep. Lawler’s offices for comment. William Paul could not immediately be reached.
In April 2015, while a senior at the University of Kentucky, Paul was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol after he hit a parked car in Lexington. After he pleaded guilty, he had to pay $718 in fees and attend a safe-driving program, the Associated Press reported. His license was also suspended for 45 days. A spokesman for Sen. Paul would not comment at the time, citing privacy.
Two years prior, then-19-year-old Paul was arrested for possession of alcohol as a minor following an altercation with a flight attendant at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was also charged with misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“Sen. Paul is a national public figure and subject to scrutiny in the public arena,” the lawmaker’s office said in a statement after that incident. “However, as many parents with teenagers would understand, his family should be afforded the privacy and respect they deserve in a situation such as this.”
Paul’s most recent role on Capitol Hill, according to Legistorm, was in the office of Georgia Rep. Mike Collins from January to June 2025. He once worked for FreedomWorks, the conservative lobbying group that shut down in May 2024.
