Florida Congressman Trey Radel to Resign Following Cocaine Arrest

Representative Trey Radel, a Florida Republican who pleaded guilty last year to buying cocaine from an undercover police officer in Dupont Circle, will resign from Congress today.

The self-styled “hip-hop conservative,” elected in 2012, said following his court appearance that he planned to return to Congress.

Radel, 37, spent a month in rehab following his November 20 arraignment, but writes in a letter to House Speaker John A. Boehner that he concluded he cannot finish out his term. “While I have dealt with those issues on a personal level, it is my belief that professionally I cannot fully and effectively serve as a United States Representative to the place I love and call home, Southwest Florida,” Radel writes.

According to a statement of offense from federal prosecutors, Radel met with an acquaintance and an undercover cop on October 29 at a Dupont Circle restaurant and invited them back to his apartment to use cocaine. The officer said he had more cocaine to sell, and offered 3.5 grams for $250. Radel forked over $260, but did not get his $10 change as federal drug enforcement agents approached.