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Leading GOP Lawmaker Detained At Airport By Police: Report

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


A top Republican lawmaker has apologized for an incident that occurred at an airport where he was “briefly” detained by police after finding himself “disoriented.”

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said he mixed an “ambien” with some “alcohol,” which left him dazed and confused at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.

“Two weekends ago, I made a mistake — one for which I take full responsibility,” McCaul, who is chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement to the DailyMail.com.

“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. Law enforcement officers briefly detained me while I waited for a family member to pick me up,” he said.

A spokesman for the lawmaker said he takes the medication because he’s a “nervous flier.” The chairman frequently travels to meet with world leaders both domestically and internationally.

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He was boarding a flight to Texas, where he lives with his wife Linda and their five children when he was detained due to disorientation. Reports also indicated that the congressman had locked himself out of his cell phone during the incident.

He became disoriented, missed his flight, and was subsequently picked up by police after their intervention. The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority Police confirmed that the lawmaker was charged with being “drunk in public” around 9 p.m. local time on November 4.

The incident occurred just one day before the election, which McCaul won decisively. In a statement, he expressed hope that the incident would help him become a better person. “I have nothing but respect and gratitude for the officers who intercepted me that evening,” he told DailyMail.com.

“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,” he added.

In recent months, McCaul has visited India and Taiwan to strengthen diplomatic ties between the U.S. and these nations. Although he is term-limited as chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, he can request a waiver from House leadership to extend his term.

House Republicans held leadership elections on Wednesday, where they unanimously voted to reelect Mike Johnson (R-La.) as Speaker.

He will still need to secure further support from his members before a full House vote on January 3, 2025. Some hardline Republicans remain doubtful about his leadership for the next Congress.

The other current House GOP leaders, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer will also retain their positions after Republicans voted to keep them in power, DailyMail.com noted.

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Johnson’s victory follows an appearance by President-elect Donald Trump with lawmakers Wednesday morning at the Hyatt Hotel before meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. There, Trump pledged his full support for Johnson. “This is a tremendous guy. I’m with him all the way,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, Johnson announced that Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz has resigned effective immediately after Trump announced he would nominate the Florida Republican to be his attorney general.

“I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately, of Congress. That caught us by surprise a little bit. But I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, well, you can’t have too many absences. So under Florida State law, there’s about an eight-week period to select and fill in a vacancy,” said Johnson.

“And so by doing so today, that allows me I’ve already placed a call to Governor DeSantis in Florida and said, let’s start the clock. He’s in Italy at the moment. And so we’re going to talk first thing in the morning about this. And if we start the clock now, if you do the math, we may be able to fill that seat as early as January 3rd when we take the new oath of office for the new Congress,” he added.

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