Republican Florida Rep. Trey Radel has been charged with misdemeanor cocaine possession in Washington, D.C. A newly elected Tea Party Republican, Radel issued a contrite statement that he has struggled with alcohol and that his alcoholism led to “an extremely irresponsible choice.” UPDATE: Radel has pleaded guilty and received a one year probation sentence.
Radel is a former television reporter and conservative radio host.
This is not his first controversy in a relatively short political career. During the campaign, it was discovered that his campaign committee “Friends of Trey Radel, Inc.” had purchased his opponents’ domain names. Radel first denied playing a role in the subterfuge and blamed staff. He then later admitted it was his doing. His campaign then created misleading websites to highlight negative aspects of his opponents’ voting records. He is described as a Tea Party favorite and was endorsed by both Connie Mack and Rudy Giuliani.
The criminal charge is relatively minor with a potential for 180 days of imprisonment and/or a fine of $1,000. Do you think that Radel’s position should be considered in the sentence? Any jail time for the tough-on-crime Tea Party candidate would come at a heavy personal and political cost.
Radel recently called for President Obama’s impeachment, stressing that his actions must have consequences: ““It is one of those times in our history, we are at this breaking point. We have completely lost our checks and balances in this country, the Congress needs to hold the president accountable for the decisions that he’s making right now, and that why again, I would say that all options should be on the table.”
The question is what the “breaking point” may be for the Tea Party and its supporters in Florida.
AY, DavidM said yesterday this guy should resign.
Nick Spinelli wrote: “AY, DavidM said yesterday this guy should resign.”
Thank you, Nick. I am constantly judged by their stereotype of what they think I believe rather than what I actually say. It gets frustrating at times. It makes dialogue difficult. I wasn’t even sure what AY was trying to say to me. It is reassuring to know that somebody actually pays enough attention to understand my position.
DavidM,
Since you have set up the scenarios why shouldn’t the good congressman resign his seat…. Not only has he broken the laws of the Federal Government….. He has flouted that he… Based upon your assertions that he has no intentions of following them…. This morning he was on TV whining about how he grew up in an alcoholic house and that his mom was a drunk…. Yadda…. Yadda… Yadda… Cry about that to someone when you take responsibility for your own actions….
He will more than likely collect his salary, his staff will be paid…. The federal government will also be on the hook for district offices and staff…. His insurance which the taxpayers pay for will pay for his rehab….. And if he’s married his family as well….. These are not available to folks on welfare …. If they are incarcerated they loose all benefits….. And if they go into rehab it’s the same…. Also if they get say regular social security…. Most places of incarceration seize that as well…. Guess what…. He’s special…. His congressional salary nor pension can be touched…. Except by the Feds….. So cry me a river…… You are the very definition of hypocrisy…..
Never had I said that I support drug testing for SNAP recipients. I strongly oppose drug testing in all cases except for people w/ peoples lives in their hands like commercial pilots, train/subway engineers, bus drivers, etc.
Elaine M,
You really didn’t have to…. I’ve read it and my head is still trying to wrap my mind around how peoples minds are set in obtuse fashions…
AY,
I just freed david’s comment from the spam filter.
I heard that he was working the hookers on C Street. If there really is a Pee Party then let them divorce themselves from the RepubliCons. The RepubliCon Party has enough problems without these guys taking over. First it was the Party of Lincoln, then it went downhill to the party of Lee Atwater with his Southern Strategy and the bigot routine of Nixon, Reagan, Bushies et al. Romney was a Gypsy so he was not clearly a bigot chaser. This guy might reform himself and stick to alcohol, tobacco and firearms. He took a leave of absence from Congress as reported in Google today. He needs some space. The people of his district in FL deserve him. You get what you pay for. A lot of people paid to get him into Congress and they deserve him too. Like the fatguy in Toronto this will not be his only lapse. There is apparently a small claims court case coming up where he failed to pay one of the hookers.
Davidm,
I wait for your humanitarian response……
My reply to Anonymously Yours was snagged by WordPress. Could someone dig it out?
Nick,
The overwhelming majority of SNAP recipients use their assistance to buy food. Period. You would be the first person to insist on putting things in perspective (said with tongue firmly in cheek), and drug testing the poor and needy is a lot of expense for little savings; no business would operate that way.
Drug testing for SNAP beneficiaries is a wealth transfer, particularly in Florida where the Governor was once an investor in the very labs that have been contracted to do the testing.
As for your friend Michael, he very well may be trading his food stamps for drugs. Then again, if he told the sun was shining at midday, I’d still look out the window to be sure.
RTC wrote: “The overwhelming majority of SNAP recipients use their assistance to buy food.”
Agreed.
RTC wrote: “… drug testing the poor and needy is a lot of expense for little savings; no business would operate that way.”
Which is why the bill passed by the House of Representatives this year did not FORCE drug testing for SNAP beneficiaries, but merely ALLOWED States to drug test. The idea is that if there is a suspicion of drug use, then drug testing could be used. If someone comes applying for the free EBT card, and you notice he is all wasted and stoned out of his mind, why would you object to giving him a drug test and disqualifying him on that basis? It seems strange to me that you would want a Congressman to go to jail and be fired from his job for having drugs in his possession, but you want drug addicts to receive free taxpayer assistance. I think at the very least, the Congressman and the SNAP recipient should be treated the same. In no case should the SNAP recipient be given a free ride and free money to support his drug habit.
AY,
He could be both if you count the Kool-Aid.
I don’t think his position should be taken into account. At least not as a benefit. As a maker of law, he should have to be the recipient of that same law on equal footing as the rest of us.
Amen Gene.
Oh SNAP! Another attempted smear on the poor debunked.
If general government contracting had the fraud rate of SNAP, every pol in the nation would be scrambling to claim credit for it.
For chrissake, these cards are sold on street corners, craigslist and ebay. Just go to the sites!
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yet you can’t post a link?
Facts schmacts, raff. Some never let facts get in the way of what they insist on believing. 😀
I think some here have forgotten that the Florida attempt to show a large drug using population on welfare failed miserably as did a similar attempt in Utah. The facts are not on your side.
http://jonathanturley.org/2013/04/14/drug-testing-welfare-recipients-to-prevent-abuse/
The fraud with SNAP cards is also very low. Maybe even lower than Tea Party congressmen’s crime rate.
Facebook and Twitter are also used to sell SNAP cards.
The USDA has been cracking down on craigslist. It’s not as blatant as it was but the ads still appear in bunches around the first of the month. Craigslist takes them down but only if someone complains. The cards go quickly so the venue still works.
We had this discussion a few weeks ago. There were 2 people here, Michael and Tina who are SNAP users. They explained how easy it is to buy or sell cards. There are also people who operate like ticket scalpers. They buy a $500 card for $250 and sell it for $350. For chrissake, these cards are sold on street corners, craigslist and ebay. Just go to the sites! The seller just gets a replacement card saying it was lost or stolen.