BISMARCK, N.D. — Local Republican Party leaders from a North Dakota lawmaker's district joined calls Friday for him to resign following his vulgar comments to police earlier this month during his traffic stop and arrest on drunken driving charges.
In a Facebook statement, the North Dakota District 23 GOP Executive Committee said it has “lost confidence” in Republican state Rep. Nico Rios' ability to represent the interests of voters. The committee requested his resignation.
“The language and insults used by Rep. Rios' choice to use disrespected and denigrated officers during his offense is inconsistent with our beliefs and party platform,” the committee said.
The local party joins House Republican Majority Leader Mike Lefor and state party officials in calling on Rios to resign Tuesday following the Dec. 15 traffic stop in which he taunted Williston police with blasphemous, homophobic and anti-migrant language.
In a statement on Wednesday, Rios said he is “seriously considering all aspects” of his future and plans to seek help for problems with alcoholism, but he made no immediate plans to resign.
He did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment on the district party committee statement.
Rios also previously said he takes responsibility for his “disgusting actions” and apologized “to those I have hurt and disappointed,” including law enforcement officers. He added that he is “100% committed to righting my actions and turning my life around.”
Police body camera footage obtained by and provided to the AP shows Rios cursing an officer, repeatedly questioning his English accent and using homophobic slurs and anti-migrant language. He also said he would call the North Dakota attorney general about the situation. He told the officers that they would “regret picking me because you don't know who… I am.”
Rios has said he left a Christmas party before police pulled him over. He was charged with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence and refusing to take a chemical test. He will attend a preliminary conference at the municipal court on February 5.
Rios, who works in an oilfield position doing hydraulic well fracturing, was elected unopposed to a four-year term in the House of Representatives in 2022. He serves on the House Judiciary Committee, a panel that deals with law enforcement legislation.
District 23 is a new legislative district built in 2021 in the state's growing oil patch. Republicans control the North Dakota House, 82-12.