North Dakota Republican state Rep. Nico Rios, a self-described “straight shooter,” said he “messed up” after having “a few too many drinks at a Christmas party” last Friday.
After apologizing on X to “the people of District 23, the North Dakota GOP, and the entire Legislature” and, for good measure, “all of North Dakota,” Rios admitted in his “official statement” about the incident that he is “not a saint.”
“No one ever wants to come to the people he represents and have to say they’re sorry,” Rios wrote. “But, I want you to hear it from me first.”
“This past weekend,” he explained, “I had a few too many drinks at a Christmas party, made the mistake of driving home, and received a DUI.”
“I’m deeply embarrassed as this is not how I want to represent the people,” Rios continued. “My terrible decisions that night will not hinder my ability to represent and fight for the people of District 23. I’m deeply sorry and regretful for my actions.”
“Moving forward I will seek the appropriate help to make sure it never happens again,” the lawmaker vowed. “I am not a saint, but may God give me the strength to someday be one.”
Nobody is more of a straight shooter than I am, and to put it bluntly I have to say that I messed up. Below is my official statement. pic.twitter.com/GwQA1zm0gX
— Rep. Nico Rios (@nico4nd23) December 18, 2023
Before planning his beatification, Rios might first want to also apologize to the police officers whom he called a “f**king f**got” and a “little bitch.”
Oh yes, those “few too many” turned the straight-shooting politician into a homophobic narcissist who accused the police officers of not knowing “who the f**k I am.”
The officers pulled the Williston Republican over on December 15 because he couldn’t keep his car in his lane, according to the New York Post.
In his vehicle, Rios reportedly had an open container of still more booze, for which he was cited, according to a police report obtained by the Bismarck Tribune. After failing the sobriety field test, Rios was ultimately arrested and, in addition to the open container, was charged with two misdemeanors — a DUI and refusing to provide a chemical test.
Rios “was verbally abusive, homophobic, racially abusive and discriminatory toward Officer Welch for the entire duration of the incident following road side testing,” the police report reveals.
(Video: YouTube)
Rather than give the officers his requested license and registration, Rios presented them with his business card.
“You guys are going to regret picking on me because you don’t know who [the] f**k I am,” he told the officers at one point.
After failing to keep his balance and bungling the heel-to-toe walk, Rios asked if he could take his truck back to his nearby home. When the officers denied his drunken request and told him that he was going to jail, Rios called one of the officers a “f**king f**got.”
“Rios was then placed in the back of Officer Alexander Welch’s police vehicle. When asked if he wanted the two phones found in his truck, he said he wanted them so he could ‘call Attorney General Drew Wrigley’ to tell him the officers were mistreating him,” the Tribune reports, adding, “Wrigley told the Tribune he has received no such call from Rios.”
Officer Welch also denied Rios’s request to turn his bodycam off.
Noting that Welch is English, Rios said he doesn’t think “people from England should be arresting Americans.”
“Your country is being overtaken by f**king migrants and refugees, right?” he asked. “You’re arresting me for driving home. But people come into your country and rape your women. And I’m the f**king bad guy? I’m going to fight for the people of England more than you ever would, you little b*tch.”
If responses to Rios’s apology on X are any indication, the politician is learning that yes, he is indeed the “bad guy.”
“Not one time did you mention the officers you verbally abused,” wrote one user. “You do have the right to remain silent.”
Not one time did you mention the officers you verbally abused. You do have the right to remain silent.
— Mr. Paperman (@TheRealCCarlson) December 22, 2023
You’re an absolute clown and deserve every bit of shame you’ve received. Hope it teaches you something, and if not, then I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before you make an ass of yourself again.
— Cody Paul (@CeePaul__) December 22, 2023
It is not “god’s” responsibility to make you a decent human being, you have free will, your behavior towards others is all down to you. You clearly feel very entitled because of your job, when you should be setting a positive example to the people you represent.
— Dazzler (@Dazzler72) December 23, 2023
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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