Boehner Won't Punish Trey Radel After Guilty Plea For Cocaine
Hey give the Boner a break. He's empathetic with those who have substance abuse problems.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) intends to take it easy on Florida Rep. Trey Radel after the Republican freshman pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of cocaine possession. His office said not to expect a call for resignation or any disciplinary action.
Shockingly, Radel waited three weeks after he was busted before telling Boehner. An aide to the Speaker said Radel first contacted Boehner regarding the matter on Tuesday, to set up a meeting, but that Politico broke the story on his charges before the two were able to meet.
"Congressman Radel informed the Speaker yesterday," said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They had a meeting. He had asked for the meeting yesterday before it became public but it didn't happen until after."
The Boehner aide declined to comment further on the meeting and indicated that the Speaker wouldn't call on Radel to resign, and would instead leave it up to the congressman, his family and his constituents to determine his future. Radel's guilty plea in court, which led to a $250 fine and one year of supervised probation, hasn't changed the Speaker's mind.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/boehner-trey-radel-cocaine
