The chief of staff to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Hayden Haynes, was arrested on a DUI charge following President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.
“A driver backed into a parked vehicle last night around 11:40 p.m. We responded and arrested them for DUI,” U.S. Capitol Police told The Independent in a statement on Wednesday. USCP didn’t respond to a request for a police report.
Johnson’s office confirmed the incident in a statement to NBC News. A law enforcement source told the network that the police report indicated that Haynes was arrested and released with a citation to appear in court.
Johnson sat behind the president alongside Vice President JD Vance during Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night.
Haynes has long been at Johnson’s side, having been chief of staff since Johnson became speaker in October 2023. He was also Johnson’s chief of staff in his personal office between 2017 and 2023. He also held a number of jobs for former Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter between 2009 and 2016.
Johnson has said that he’s standing by his chief, according to NBC.
“The Speaker is aware of the encounter that occurred last night involving his Chief of Staff and the Capitol Police," a spokesperson for the speaker told the network. "The Speaker has known and worked closely with Hayden for nearly a decade and trusted him to serve as his Chief of Staff for his entire tenure in Congress. Because of this and Hayden’s esteemed reputation among Members and staff alike, the Speaker has full faith and confidence in Hayden’s ability to lead the Speaker’s office.”
Most violations in the nation’s capitol are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C., but DUI charges are prosecuted by the D.C. Office of the Attorney General, under the leadership of D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb. This could prove significant as the interim U.S. attorney for D.C., Ed Martin, is a conservative activist with connections to Capitol Hill Republicans.
Trump wants Martin to be in the role permanently. He was handed access to footage from the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which Martin subsequently used to push conspiracy theories regarding the insurrection.
Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Florida Rep. Cory Mills last month, but Martin’s office didn’t give it the green light. Mills faced an investigation concerning an alleged assault in an apartment building. Mills said police had stepped in to help "resolve a private matter,” according to NBC.
