Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, has had such concerns raised about alcohol-related incidents in his past that he has reportedly vowed to quit drinking in the event he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.
It turns out he’s not the only Republican political figure in the news for embarrassing drinking behavior.
According to The Tennessean, Republican Tennessee state Sen. Ken Yager, the chair of the Senate Republican Caucus, was arrested Tuesday and charged with getting into a hit-and-run while driving under the influence. The arrest took place while Yager was vacationing in Georgia.
“An unfortunate incident happened last night. On the advice of my attorney, I cannot discuss the particulars at this time. I am and will continue to cooperate fully with authorities to bring this incident to an appropriate conclusion,” the senator said in a statement issued by his office, as reported by the newspaper.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
According to the story, police were told to look for a certain Ford car after it was used in a hit-and-run. The vehicle was found in a grocery store parking lot. However, by that point “emergency medical services had already arrived and were evaluating Yager, who had tripped and fallen.”
Video has emerged, from a Nashville TV station, of Yager’s field sobriety test, in which he appears to have urinated on himself, which was noted in the newspaper’s write-up of the incident report. The stop also took place in daylight, police said he smelled of alchohol, and the Breathalyzer test “returned a breath alcohol content of 0.14,” above the legal limit of 0.08.
Watch: Tennessee State Senator Ken Yager appears to urinate on himself during a DUI field sobriety test. The GA Department of Public Safety confirmed that he was arrested for driving under the influence
Yager serves as the Republican Senate Caucus Chairpic.twitter.com/LHVfJPXfxj
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) December 5, 2024
Yager has been charged with three counts, per the report: hit and run; duty of driver to stop or return to scene of accident; failure to stop at a stop sign and DUI less safe driver. In addition, per state Senate ethics rules, he would be required to step down, at least temporarily, in the event of a criminal indictment, “or appeal within 10 days of his indictment to the Ethics Committee for a hearing on whether or not he can keep the position while the indictment is being pursued.”
Featured image via screengrab
