Although he initially refused to give up his seat, Florida Representative Trey Radel will resign from Congress Monday. The news comes months after it was reported that he was arrested for cocaine possession in October.
The freshman Congressman’s arrest was not made public until he made a court appearance in Washington in November. He went to rehab and pleaded guilty to charges. After he completed his stint, he vowed not to resign.
However, sources for Politico reported Monday morning that Radel will resign in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner. An aide confirmed the news to NBC News.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott will have to schedule a special election to choose Radel’s replacement. The southwest district Radel represented is heavily Republican and the campaign to replace him is already on. Politico notes that Paige Kreegel, who is supported by a super PAC, plans on running for the seat.
“Alcohol does not work for me… It led me down a path that that slowly and surely chipped away at my relationship with my wife, my child and God. And it led to really bad decisions, which put me here today,” Radell said in December.
He later added, “I let you down, I let our country down...And again for that, I am sorry.”
image: Wikimedia Commons
