Earlier this month, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas was briefly detained at Dulles International Airport after authorities suspected he appeared intoxicated, he confirmed on Wednesday.
In a statement shared with NewsNation, McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, admitted he had made a misjudgment by combining Ambien, a sleep aid, with alcohol.
Rep. Michael McCaul detained at Dulles Airport after combining Ambien with alcohol.
McCaul clarified that he had taken Ambien to help him rest on his upcoming flight but added alcohol, which led to the incident. “Law enforcement officers briefly detained me while I waited for a family member to pick me up,” he explained.
According to Crystal Nosal, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, McCaul was charged with public intoxication in connection with the November 4 episode at Dulles.
McCaul, a frequent traveler who meets with foreign leaders in his role, expressed gratitude to law enforcement for their response and shared that he plans to use this experience to improve himself.
“I am grateful to the officers who approached me that night,” McCaul stated. “This incident doesn’t reflect the person I strive to be. I’m committed to learning from this mistake and working to better myself.”
Recently re-elected to an 11th term in the House, McCaul and his colleagues returned to Washington this week as Republicans achieved a clean sweep for President-elect Trump.
