OAN Staff Lillian Mann
6:58 AM – Thursday, May 14, 2026
Senator Rand Paul’s son, William Paul, allegedly verbally accosted Representative Mike Lawler during a drunken rampage about the tensions in the Middle East, saying the conflict is “about the gays and the Jews, and I hate them both, and I don’t care if they die.”
Lawler (R-N.Y.) recounted the evening, saying he was seated at the Tune Inn Restaurant and Bar in Washington, D.C., with NOTUS reporter Reese Gorman — who later reported on the incident — when William Paul, Senator Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) son, interrupted their conversation about the approaching primary election.
William Paul stated that if Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) were to lose his upcoming primary election, it would be because of Lawler’s “people,” the GOP congressman alleged.
Lawler asked Paul, “My people?”
“Yeah, you Jews,” Paul responded.
On the steps of the Capitol the next day, Lawler, who is not Jewish, told reporters that Paul then went on a “roughly 10-minute diatribe about Israel, about Jews.”
The GOP lawmaker continued, “I’m like, ‘Do you think I’m Jewish? I’m Irish-Italian Catholic, buddy.’”
Lawler then defended his support of Israel and told Paul he was being antisemitic, according to NOTUS.
“And then he got into the Middle East, and he was talking about, like, us trying to steal Iran’s land for the Jews and steal the West Bank, and I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’” Lawler recalled.
Paul responded, “This war, it’s all about the gays and the Jews, and I hate them both, and I don’t care if they die.”
Finally, Lawler attempted to end the conversation by saying, “Well, you just seem to hate Jews, so there’s no point arguing anymore.”
Paul then aggressively pointed his finger in Lawler’s face, saying, “Don’t put words in my mouth, Mike Lawler, I never said that.”
According to Gorman’s article, Paul raised his middle finger at Lawler and then paid his tab, tripping and stumbling on his way out of the restaurant.
On Wednesday afternoon, Paul expressed his remorse over the incident in an X post, saying that he is seeking support for his “drinking problem.”
“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,” the post read.
Tuesday’s events, however, were not the first time the senator’s son had caused issues for his father, as Paul had previously pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and crashing his truck into a parked car in 2015.
Two years prior, Paul was arrested for allegedly assaulting a 22-year-old female flight attendant on a plane to Charlotte, North Carolina. Authorities charged him after he landed with consuming alcohol underage and disorderly conduct, but the charges were later dropped.
Paul has previously worked for the conservative organization FreedomWorks and served multiple members of Congress through last summer, according to LegiStorm.
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