Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) spoke to reporters on the steps of Capitol Hill on Wednesday and detailed his headline-grabbing run-in with a drunken William Paul from the night before.

Paul, the son of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), accosted Lawler at a DC bar on Tuesday night, in front of NOTUS political reporter Reese Gorman, who dutifully wrote up the story.

“Well, I think it was reprehensible. I went to grab a bite to eat after a long day, and it’s one of the few places, Tune Inn, that actually serves food after 10. So I was meeting a friend and one of your colleagues,” Lawler explained, adding:

And ultimately, this gentleman, William Rand or William Paul, decided to interject into the conversation and start accosting me about, you know, if Thomas Massie loses, it’s because of my people.

And I asked him, “Well, who is my people?” And he yelled out, “Jews.” And I asked him, “You think I’m Jewish?” And he said, “Yes.” I said, “Well, I’m Irish-Italian Catholic.” And he goes, “Oh, oh, I’m sorry to accuse you of that,” which is just a remarkable statement in and of itself.

But he then went on a roughly 10-minute diatribe about Israel, about Jews, about Paul Singer, and accusing Jews of being responsible for so many things, playing right into the typical anti-Semitic tropes that so many people rely on. And at one point, he said that he hates Jews and hates gays and doesn’t care if they die.

“And I think that’s f*cking disgusting. So the conversation shortly thereafter ended. He gave me the middle finger and then tripped on his way out the door. But I mean, look, I think it speaks to a larger issue, obviously, in society and what we’re seeing among young people and what we see online. And this is the level of hatred and vitriol, frankly, that some of my Jewish colleagues experience, but many of my constituents experience,” Lawler added, noting the rising trend of anti-Semitism in the country.

“I have one of the largest Jewish populations anywhere in the country in my congressional district, and I’m not going to stop standing up for my constituents. I’m going to stand up for the Judeo-Christian values that are at the core of our nation, our Constitution, and our rule of law, as I reminded Mr. Paul. You know, if you are Christian and you believe in the Bible, there is a thing called the Old Testament that was part of that, and seemingly he doesn’t care,” he concluded.

William Paul addressed the incident in a social media post, writing, “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.” As of Wednesday evening, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) had yet to publicly comment.

Watch the clip above.

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