Rep. John Thompson agrees to apologize for calling GOP member a racist

State Rep. John Thompson has agreed to apologize on the House floor for calling a Republican lawmaker a racist during a June debate.

The agreement was enough for the House Ethics committee to dismiss a complaint lodged against Thompson by GOP state Rep. Eric Lucero. The incident happened during a heated June 19 House floor debate, when Thompson twice said of Lucero, "I know you're a racist."

The incident is unrelated to larger controversies facing Thompson over his residency and past domestic violence allegations. No lawmakers have filed ethics complaints against Thompson over those matters, and he has resisted bipartisan calls to resign.