Brazos County congressman Michael McCaul was charged with being drunk in public inside a Washington D.C. area airport the night before the November general election.
The Texas Tribune reports the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority released McCaul after he was detained for a brief time at Dulles International Airport.
Click HERE to read and download the Texas Tribune story.
As of the morning of November 14th, McCaul’s website or his X/Twitter and Facebook pages have no reference to the incident that took place the evening of November 4th.
The Texas Tribune reports a spokesperson for the congressman said the incident was “the result of a poor decision” to mix Ambien and alcohol.
McCaul’s spokesperson also told the Texas Tribune that McCaul is a nervous flier and he had taken Ambien to help him sleep on his flight, information the Tribune reported confirmed a story from the online publication Semafor.
The spokesperson also told the Texas Tribune that mixing the medication with alcohol made him dazed and disoriented, leading him to miss his flight and lock himself out of his phone. Airport police officers then detained him, assuming he was intoxicated.
McCaul was released shortly after being detained when a family member picked him up.
McCaul’s statement given to the Texas Tribune said “Two weekends ago, I made a mistake — one for which I take full responsibility”. “I missed a flight to Texas and found myself disoriented in the airport. This was the result of a poor decision I made to mix an Ambien — which I took in order to sleep on the upcoming flight — with some alcohol.” “I have nothing but respect and gratitude for the officers who intercepted me that evening,” he said. “This incident does not reflect who I am and who I strive to be. As a human, I am not perfect. But I am determined to learn from this mistake and, God willing, make myself a better person.”
The Texas Tribune story says McCaul is term-limited in his coveted position atop the House Foreign Affairs Committee, for which he regularly travels to meet with world leaders. He has said he will seek special permission from GOP leaders to continue serving as the committee’s top Republican beyond his six-year term limit next year, when the new Congress begins.