Rep. Michael McCaul charged with DUI after airport arrest

Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was “briefly detained” at a Virginia airport earlier this month and charged with driving while intoxicated.

According to the Associated press, NBC News And SemaforAccording to a spokesperson for the Republican representative, McCaul became “disoriented” after the ingestion. Ambiena sedative and drinking alcohol before boarding a flight back to Texas from Dulles International Airport on Nov. 4 because he was a “nervous flyer.”

Media reports say that after the incident caused him to miss his flight and lock himself out of his phone, McCaul met with police, who detained him and believed he needed help.

Although he was not arrested, a representative of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed to NBC News: The Washington Post and PEOPLE that McCaul was charged with being drunk in public.

He was later released after issuing a summons to a third-party driver. Below Virginia lawthe charge is classified as a class 4 misdemeanor.

In a statement obtained by the media, McCaul took “full responsibility” for the “mistake” he made “two weekends ago.”

“I missed a flight to Texas and became disoriented at the airport,” he said. “This was the result of a bad decision I made to mix an Ambien – which I took 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. I have nothing but respect and gratitude for the officers who intercepted me that evening,” his statement continued.

“This incident does not reflect who I am and who I strive to be. As a human being, I am not perfect,” his statement added. “But I am determined to learn from this mistake and, God willing, make myself a better person.” PEOPLE reached out to a McCaul representative but did not immediately hear back.

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Earlier this month, McCaul was re-elected representing Texas’ 10th districtwhich stretches from Austin to Houston, in the U.S. House of Representatives. It will be his eleventh term in Congress. In 2023, he became chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.