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Trey, it ain?t so?? Sadly, yes it is.
Henry ?Trey? Radel is a freshman Congressman from Florida’s 19th District.? This 37- years- old Republican was arrested in Washington D.C. back on October 29, 2013 for misdemeanor cocaine? possession.?Today, in D.C. Superior Court, Congressman Radel pleaded guilty,?admitting to having purchased some $250 worth of cocaine from an undercover agent.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of 180 days in jail plus a $1,000 fine. It is expected that the conviction will be expunged from his record after a year if Congressman Radel stays out of trouble. Had Congressman Radel been arrested for the same offense back in his home State of Florida, the offense would have been a felony, and a conviction or a guilty pleas would result in the loss of his right to vote.
Most hypocritical about Congressman Radel’s situation is that he has voted in favor of drug testing food stamp recipients.
In a statement release this week, the congressman said the arrest has a “positive side. It offers me an opportunity to seek treatment and counseling.” He went on to say:
I struggle with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice. As the father of a young son and a husband to a loving wife, I need to get help so I can be a better man for both of them.
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Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner apparently has no plans to do anything about the matter. The Speaker said:
Members of Congress should be held to the highest standards, and the alleged crime will be handled by the courts. Beyond that, this is between Rep. Radel, his family, and his constituents.
Congressman Radel, who came into office with Tea Party support,?doesn’t have much of a voting record beyond saying yes to drug test food stamp recipients. This particular House of Representatives, under the leadership of Speaker John Boehner, doesn’t vote on much of anything that has anything other than to do with restricting the reproductive rights of women or defunding or repealing the ACA.
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Is this yet another example of GOP do as I say but not as I do hypocrisy that Speaker Boehner and the rest of the Teabully House will attempt to ignore and sweep under the rug?? Or will this become the inspiration for the GOP to push for the decriminalization of recreational marijuana and cocaine use, retroactively and only for members of Congress, of course.
Perhaps this will now become just another seat that the GOP should not lose to a Democrat in 2014, but now, because of the actions of Henry ?Trey? Radel, there just might be another opening for a strong Democratic candidate.? Let’s hope that Speaker Boehner is right and that the constituents from Congressman Radel’s District step up to the plate and show him the door.? And this will hopefully add to a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives come January 2015.
Edited/Published by: SB
