In early March, Hayden Haynes, the chief of staff to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was arrested after President Donald Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress.
According to reports at the time, Haynes allegedly hit a Capitol vehicle and was later charged with DUI after officers at the scene assessed his condition.
Haynes just had his first hearing, pleading not guilty to the charges.
Not guilty
U.S. Capitol Police confirmed the incident at the time, stating, “A driver backed into a parked vehicle last night around 11:40 p.m.
“We responded and arrested them for DUI,” the statement added.
Johnson’s office was contacted about arrest, and a representative replied, “The Speaker is aware of the encounter that occurred last night involving his Chief of Staff and the Capitol Police.”
“The Speaker has known and worked closely with Hayden for nearly a decade and trusted him to serve as his Chief of Staff for his entire tenure in Congress,” the statement continued.
The representative of Johnson’s office went on, “Because of this and Hayden’s esteemed reputation among Members and staff alike, the Speaker has full faith and confidence in Hayden’s ability to lead the Speaker’s office.”
On Thursday morning, Haynes reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charges, but that is likely to secure some type of deal with prosecutors.
According to the police reports, when officers arrived at the scene, Haynes, driving a Tesla, was unsteady on his feet as well as slurring his words.
Officers stated that he then fell onto the passenger seat of his car.
While officers were administering a sobriety test, Haynes reportedly had to be helped by officers, or he would have fallen down.
Haynes did try to provide officers with a urine sample, but he reportedly dropped the sample into the toilet. When he tried to produce a second sample, he was unable to do so.
The Johnson aide is now scheduled to appear in court on May 16.
Haynes is represented by Stuart Sears, a high-profile white-collar crime attorney at the firm of Schertler Onorato Mead & Sears.
The case is being prosecuted by Attorney General for the District of Columbia Brian L. Schwalb.
My guess here is that a plea deal will be worked out soon enough, and this will all go away other than whatever fines or community service Haynes needs to serve.
Johnson has given no indication that he plans on dismissing Haynes over the incident. However, I would suggest that Johnson check his phone to make sure he has Uber and Lyft loaded up, so this never happens again.
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Author: G. McConway
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