Washington state House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, a Democratic representative, has issued an apology after he was caught intoxicated during a critical hearing.
The Wednesday evening hearing turned into a PR nightmare for Fitzgibbon, when he was participating in an executive session on House Bill 2289, according to The Center Square.
The entire affair was, in simple terms, a disaster.
Fitzgibbon was so clearly out of it that the committee chair called a recess in the middle of the session to remove him from the room.
The 39-year-old lawmaker would return just moments later.
You can watch a video of the concerning behavior from Fitzgibbon below:
“I am grateful to all the members of this committee, all the members of the House for putting forward their ideas and making sure that the operating budget that we’ve put forward does not forget that the people we are working to represent, people that we are working to lift up and support don’t always have a voice in this process, and their voice is carried forward by the members of this body,” said Fitzgibbon, whose hair The Center Square described as “disheveled.”
“He appeared glassy eyed, with speech slurred as he urged support for the legislation,” the outlet added.
Perhaps realizing how bad a look this was, Fitzgibbon issued a groveling statement apologizing for his behavior, according to KOMO-TV.
“I deeply regret and apologize for the fact that I consumed alcohol before the work of the Appropriations Committee was completed on Wednesday, and the result was obvious,” Fitzgibbon said. “This was a serious mistake for many reasons. Being impaired in that situation was harmful to my work and to my co-workers.”
He added: “This was a painful and embarrassing lesson, one I won’t forget, and I will not put myself and others in this situation again in the future.
“Again, I apologize.”
Despite the “painful and embarrassing lesson” and the apology, Fitzgibbon was promptly lambasted by his fellow Washington lawmakers for the boozy incident.
Speaking to The Center Square, local GOP Rep. Michelle Valdez condemned Fitzgibbon’s drinking — while adding quite a shot at the Democrats.
“The sad part is you have to understand: He is responsible for our state and for Washington Democrats and also for our state budget,” Valdez told The Center Square. “He has so much power, and it is so disenfranchising to know that he’s drunk on the job.”
She then added the zinger: “To be honest, if I was in charge of our state budget and destroying the state, I’d probably drink, too.”
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