Rep. Kennedy Crashes Car Near Capitol
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON – Rep. Patrick Kennedy crashed his car near the Capitol early yesterday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Mr. Kennedy said he had had no alcohol before the accident.
Mr. Kennedy, a Democrat of Rhode Island, addressed the issue after a spate of news reports.
“I was involved in a traffic accident last night at First and C Street SE near the U.S. Capitol,” Mr. Kennedy said in a written statement released by his office. “I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident. I will fully cooperate with the Capitol Police in whatever investigation they choose to undertake.”
Mr. Kennedy appeared to be intoxicated when he crashed his car into a barrier on Capitol Hill early yesterday morning, the president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, Louis P. Cannon, said.
Mr. Cannon, who was not there, said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official “above the rank of patrolman” to take Mr. Kennedy home. No sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.
A letter written by a Capitol Police officer to a Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call, said Mr. Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m.
Mr. Kennedy said he was late for a vote, Officer Greg Baird, who is acting chairman of the Capitol Hill chapter of the FOP police union, said. The last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier.
The son of Senator Kennedy, a Democrat of Massachusetts, Mr. Kennedy and his staff declined to discuss any further details of the accident. The congressman took part in House votes yesterday.
Capitol Police did not immediately return phone calls for comment. They issued a statement saying they were investigating a traffic violation that occurred early in the morning at that location.
Officer Baird wrote the acting Capitol Police chief, Christopher McGaffin, that two sergeants who responded to the accident conferred with the watch commander and were ordered to leave the scene.
He said that after the officers left, Capitol Police officials gave Mr. Kennedy a ride home.
