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US Congressman Guilty of Cocaine Possession Apologizes


FILE - House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Trey Radel, Sept. 3, 2013.
FILE - House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Trey Radel, Sept. 3, 2013.
A U.S. congressman who pleaded guilty to cocaine possession has made an emotional apology after returning to Washington for the first time since November.

After privately apologizing to his Republican Party colleagues Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, Representative Trey Radel, from Florida told reporters he had let down the entire country, his colleagues, and family.

Radel insisted he is not yet thinking about re-election to another term.

The 37-year-old Radel is a first term congressman who is backed by the conservative Tea Party faction. After his guilty plea, Radel was sentenced to a year of probation.

Radel says he is undergoing drug treatment and will not resign. The House Ethics Committee says it will investigate his actions.
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