Colorado House Republican leader quits over DUI scandal

Colorado’s House Republican leader Mike Lynch has announced he will step down, just days after reports surfaced about his 2022 arrest on DUI and gun possession charges.

Mr Lynch’s resignation came after he survived a no-confidence vote on Monday in which roughly half of his caucus tried to oust him.

The vote ended in a tie, meaning Mr Lynch was able to keep his job as the minority leader of the Colorado House.

He survived again in a similar vote on Tuesday, but by Wednesday morning, he confirmed his resignation.

“I want it to be clear that I’m not stepping down because I won a close vote of no confidence,” Lynch told lawmakers. “I am stepping down because it’s the right thing to do because I’ve become a distraction for my caucus, and that is getting in the way of the hard work that we have to do in this building.

“I would like this to serve as a reminder to my fellow colleagues. Be careful. Don’t make the same mistake that I made which was to get behind the wheel after I had had too much to drink,” Lynch added. “There is a lot of socialising here, thank God, in my instance, there was no damage done. I will tell you personally it has been life-changing.”

Weeks before becoming House GOP leader, Lynch was arrested for a DUI, The Denver Post reported.

The Colorado state rep was pulled over by a State Patrol trooper after he was caught speeding at 90 miles per hour in a 75 mph zone on Interstate 25, the report stated.

After stepping out of the car, the trooper said he smelled alcohol on Mr Lynch, who then admitted he had a firearm on him, the report added.

Mr Lynch then reportedly went to reach for the firearm—prompting the officer to tell him that “pulling a gun out of your pocket when in contact with the police was, in