No discipline for Democratic lawmaker’s racist, sexist slur

By RANDALL CHASE
Associated Press

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democrat-led House committee will take no disciplinary action against a Democratic lawmaker who used a racist and sexist slur to refer to sex workers. House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst said Monday that members of the Ethics Committee unanimously agreed at a closed-door meeting that Rep. Gerald Brady of Wilmington did not violate legislative rules of conduct and that no further action will be taken. The statement was accompanied by a memorandum in which attorneys for the Democratic and Republican caucuses noted that there was no precedent for disciplining a lawmaker for speech outside of legislative proceedings. They also said the prospect of such disciplinary action raises First Amendment concerns.