Republican Representative Michael McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reported that he was briefly detained by law enforcement at a Washington, D.C. area airport earlier this month.
McCaul explained that he became “disoriented” while at Dulles International Airport after consuming alcohol and taking medication prior to a flight back to Texas. He acknowledged his misjudgment in mixing an Ambien, intended for sleep during his flight, with alcohol.
“I made a mistake two weekends ago, which I fully acknowledge. After missing my flight to Texas, I found myself in a disoriented state at the airport. This was largely due to my poor choice to combine Ambien with some alcohol,” McCaul stated in his announcement.
He went on to express respect and gratitude towards the law enforcement officers who briefly detained him while he awaited a family member’s arrival. McCaul emphasized that this occurrence does not define him or his aspirations, acknowledging his imperfections while expressing a commitment to learn from the experience and improve himself moving forward.
The Representative was recently re-elected to serve an 11th term representing a district that extends from Austin to the suburbs of Houston.
Attempts to obtain a comment from Dulles International Airport later on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
