|
 Radel made the announcement Wednesday at a crowded news conference
in Florida.
"I'm not going to sit here and make any excuses for what I've done,"
he said. "I have let down our country. I've let down our
constituents. I've let down my family, including my wife. And even
though he doesn't know it, I've let down my 2-year-old son."
He said he takes responsibility for what he did, adding, "I want to
be a better man."
At a court hearing earlier Wednesday in Washington, Radel told a
judge, "I've hit a bottom where I realize I need help" in
acknowledging that he purchased 3.5 grams of cocaine from an
undercover police officer.
As part of a plea agreement Radel admitted he agreed to buy the
cocaine for $250 in a Washington neighborhood on Oct. 29. After the
undercover officer gave Radel the drugs federal agents confronted
him, court documents show. Radel agreed to talk with the agents and
invited them to his apartment, where he also retrieved a vial of
cocaine he had in the home, the documents said.
At his news conference in Florida, Radel said he has been struggling
with alcoholism and substance abuse "off and on for years." He said
he will enter an in-patient treatment program and said he was
confident he could overcome his disease.
His office said the leave of absence takes effect immediately and
said the congressman had filed the necessary papers with the House
clerk. He gave no indication he was going to resign.
Radel had said in court earlier that he wants to "continue serving
this country."
Radel's lawyer, David Schertler, said in court that his client had
already entered outpatient treatment in Washington and would also
seek treatment in Florida. If Radel successfully completes his year
of probation the charge against him will be dismissed and he can
apply to have his record expunged.
A DEA official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he
was not authorized to release details of the case in his own name
said Radel was identified to authorities as a cocaine buyer by his
suspected dealer. The dealer had been arrested previously as part of
a separate drug investigation led by a federal task force.
Court documents show that when Radel bought the cocaine on Oct. 29
he met with the undercover officer and an acquaintance with whom he
had previously used cocaine. The documents said Radel purchased
cocaine on several previous occasions. Karl Colder, special agent
in charge of the DEA's Washington field office, said Radel was given
no special treatment in avoiding arrest at the scene. He said
authorities do not automatically arrest drug buyers in undercover
operations, especially if they are part of a larger investigation,
agree to cooperate and don't pose a threat to the public. Radel
provided information to investigators at the time of the bust and
has continued meeting with them since, Colder said in an interview
with The Associated Press.
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"Collectively there's always a decision that's made in terms of time
of arrest, when we plan to arrest," he said, later adding, "It's not
uncommon for us not to make immediate arrests on situations like
that."
Radel appears to be the first sitting member of Congress charged
with a drug offense since former Rep. Frederick Richmond, D-N.Y.,
was convicted in 1982 on charges of tax evasion and drug possession.
A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said the
allegations are a matter for the courts.
"Beyond that, this is between Rep. Radel, his family and his
constituents," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said.
The Florida Democratic Party released a statement Wednesday calling
Radel's conduct "an embarrassment to his district and to the state
of Florida" and saying he "should resign immediately."
Radel was elected in 2012 to represent Florida's 19th Congressional
District, which includes the Gulf Coast communities of Fort Myers
and Naples. He was a radio host before becoming a congressman. He
identifies himself on his Twitter profile as a "Hip Hop
conservative" and "lover of #liberty," and his Twitter account has
remained active in the past few weeks, including on the day of the
bust.
Among the bills he co-sponsored during his freshman term is
legislation that would allow a judge to impose a sentence below a
mandatory minimum, including for drug offenses.
If Radel had been arrested in Florida with the same amount of
cocaine it would be a third-degree felony punishable by five years
in prison under state law.
[Associated
Press; MICHAEL J. MISHAK]
Associated Press writers
Jessica Gresko, Alicia A. Caldwell, Eric Tucker and Laurie Kellman
in Washington and Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this report.
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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