Patrick Kennedy lied...
A hostess at the Hawk ’n’ Dove bar, a popular Capitol Hill watering hole, told the Herald that Kennedy was drinking in the hours before cops say they watched his Mustang swerve eratically, nearly hit a police cruiser and smash into a concrete security barricade.
Kennedy said he did not drink alcohol before the accident and instead blamed his actions on a reaction to the sleep medication Ambien and a gastroenteritis drug called Phenergan.
After initially saying he got behind the wheel because he was disoriented and believed he needed to vote, Kennedy said yesterday he has no memory of getting out of bed or crashing his car.
Conflicting statements
U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) seemed to remember a good bit about his Thursday morning car accident on Thursday evening. But by Friday afternoon, his memory was failing.
THURSDAY: “Following the last series of votes on Wednesday evening, I returned to my home on Capitol Hill and took the prescribed amount of Phenergan and Ambien, . . .Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol complex believing I needed to vote. Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication. At that time, I was involved in a one-car incident in which my car hit the security barrier at the corner of 1st and C St., SE.”
“At the time of the accident, I was instructed to park my car and was driven home by the United States Capitol Police. At no time did I ask for any special consideration, I simply complied with what the officers asked me to do.”
FRIDAY: “I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police or being cited for three driving infractions. That’s not how I want to live my life. And that’s not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island.” |
