Kennedy Car Crash Cover-up?

[R. Richard]

We are all equal under the law. Well, some of us are more equal than others it would seem. Comment?

From the Drudge Report:

KENNEDY CAR CRASH COVER-UP?
Thu May 04 2006 17:12:05 ET

Police labor union officials asked acting Chief Christopher McGaffin this afternoon to allow a Capitol Police officer to complete his investigation into an early-morning car crash involving Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), son of Sen. Ted Kennedy.

ROLL CALL reports: According to a letter sent by Officer Greg Baird, acting chairman of the USCP FOP, the wreck took place at approximately 2:45 a.m. Thursday when Kennedy's car, operating with its running lights turned off, narrowly missed colliding with a Capitol Police cruiser and smashed into a security barricade at First and C streets Southeast.

“The driver exited the vehicle and he was observed to be staggering,” Baird’s letter states. Officers approached the driver, who “declared to them he was a Congressman and was late to a vote. The House had adjourned nearly three hours before this incident. It was Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy from Rhode Island.”

Baird wrote that Capitol Police Patrol Division units, who are trained in driving under the influence cases, were not allowed to perform basic field sobriety tests on the Congressman. Instead, two sergeants, who also responded to the accident, proceeded to confer with the Capitol Police watch commander on duty and then “ordered all of the Patrol Division Units to leave the scene and that they were taking over.”

A source tells the DRUDGE REPORT: "It was apparent that the driver was intoxicated (stumbling) and claimed he was in a hurry to make a vote.

"When it became apparent who it was, instead of processing a normal DWI, the watch commander had the Patrol units clear the scene. The commander allowed other building officials drive Kennedy home."

This morning's incident comes just over two weeks after Kennedy was involved in a car accident in Rhode Island.

"I was involved in a traffic accident last night at First and C Street SE near the U.S. Capitol," Kennedy said in a written statement released by his office. "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident. I will fully cooperate with the Capitol Police in whatever investigation they choose to undertake."

Developing...

 

[LadyJeanne]

I heard something about him taking Ambien and an anti-nausea drug at bedtime? Aren't people reporting strange effects of Ambien?

Regardless, yeah, it sure sounds like the police have a different set of rules for Congressmen.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Kennedy? Car crash? Coverup?

Gosh, that sounds awfully familiar ...

 

[Boxlicker101]

Kennedy? Car crash? Coverup?

Gosh, that sounds awfully familiar ...

It is obvious the case was covered up. He appeared to be drubnk and had just caused an accident. With just about anybody else, he would have been arrested and taken to have a drubnk test of some kind. If his blood alcohol level had been at a high enough level, he would have been charged with drubnk driving. I don't know just what the punishment is in DC for that.

I can't really blame the individual cops who were involved. They were ordered to leave by their supervisors who then drove Kennedy home. I don't think he was ever tested for anything. He claims it was medication, and maybe it was, but I will always believe he got away with drubnk driving.

His father, Edward M. (Ted) got away with more than that many years earlier. Possibly he should have been charged with manslaughter or some equivalent but the worst was failure to report a fatal accident and he didn't even get a slap on the wrist for that. He pled guilty and was given a sixty day suspended sentence. The statutory minimum for a conviction on that charge is twenty days in jail but he never served a minute. He had been drinking at a party before driving but all the other party-goers were hustled out of town and nobody ever followed up on anything else.

It certainly helps to be a member of Congress and a Kennedy.

 

[Belegon]

If anybody ever actually believed that a congressman, regardless of his last name was going to be treated just like "regular folk" in the case of a possible DUI....


...I got a house for ya to buy. Oceanfront property in Arizona. The gosling recently moved out of it...from the front porch you can see the ocean and walk down for a swim, out the back door you can go skiing in the Swiss Alps and in the garage is a mystical portal to ancient Atlantis...



edit: BTW, this by itself is enough for me to seriously doubt the report

A source tells the DRUDGE REPORT:

 

[Guest]

.....

 

[R. Richard]

I believe that the two sergeants, who also responded to the accident, proceeded to confer with the Capitol Police watch commander on duty and then “ordered all of the Patrol Division Units to leave the scene and that they were taking over.” need to be punished. Yes, I am talking about really extreme punishment!


NO DOUGHNUTS FOR TWO WEEKS!

 

[oggbashan]

I have just google searched for the report and found nothing recent.

Is this another urban myth?

Og

 

[R. Richard]

I have just google searched for the report and found nothing recent.

Is this another urban myth?

Og

No Og, however, there is an urban myth involved here. The urban myth is that it is bad to operate a motor vehicle when you are drunk, but OK if you are on prescription drugs. Actually, there are two urban myths involved. The second is that it is not necessary for the police to check for intoxication if the suspect is a Congressman.

[Note: Bipolar disorder is a form of insanity where the deluded one thinks he is about to be attacked by a bipolar bear!]

Kennedy Blames Crash on Prescription Drugs[
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060505/ap_on_go_co/patrick_kennedy_crash

WASHINGTON - Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) says he'd taken a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness, but consumed no alcohol, before crashing his car near the Capitol.

In a statement, Kennedy, D-R.I., said the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, who was not on the scene, said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustang into a barrier on Capitol Hill.

Cannon said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home and no sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.

Kennedy said that after working Wednesday evening he went home and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another drug that he sometimes takes to fall asleep.

In his statement, Kennedy said he was apparently disoriented from the drugs when he got up a little before 3 a.m. Thursday and drove to the Capitol thinking he needed to be present for a vote.

"At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol," he said.

A letter written by a Capitol Police officer to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Kennedy reportedly told the police he was late for a vote, but the final vote of the night had taken place some six hours earlier.

The Capitol Police did not return phone calls for comment.

Kennedy spent time at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he went to Providence College. He has been open about mental health issues, including being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I have just google searched for the report and found nothing recent.

Is this another urban myth?

Og

Try Yahoo's front page Og. A report on it was in the recent news when I logged in this morning.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

No Og, however, there is an urban myth involved here. The urban myth is that it is bad to operate a motor vehicle when you are drunk, but OK if you are on prescription drugs. Actually, there are two urban myths involved. The second is that it is not necessary for the police to check for intoxication if the suspect is a Congressman.

[Note: Bipolar disorder is a form of insanity where the deluded one thinks he is about to be attacked by a bipolar bear!]

Kennedy Blames Crash on Prescription Drugs[
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060505/ap_on_go_co/patrick_kennedy_crash

WASHINGTON - Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) says he'd taken a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness, but consumed no alcohol, before crashing his car near the Capitol.

In a statement, Kennedy, D-R.I., said the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, who was not on the scene, said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustang into a barrier on Capitol Hill.

Cannon said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home and no sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.

Kennedy said that after working Wednesday evening he went home and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another drug that he sometimes takes to fall asleep.

In his statement, Kennedy said he was apparently disoriented from the drugs when he got up a little before 3 a.m. Thursday and drove to the Capitol thinking he needed to be present for a vote.

"At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol," he said.

A letter written by a Capitol Police officer to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Kennedy reportedly told the police he was late for a vote, but the final vote of the night had taken place some six hours earlier.

The Capitol Police did not return phone calls for comment.

Kennedy spent time at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he went to Providence College. He has been open about mental health issues, including being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Sometimes, you just have to sit back and enjoy the irony. Lets assume for just a moment he was not drunk, and his condition was caused by a drug reaction.

Police see an accident and, oops, another drunk kennedy. What shall we do? Well, take him home and whatever you do, don't administer a sobriety test. Don't do anything so we don't have deniability.

Now the poor congressman is adamntly protesting that he wasn't drunk, but the one thing that could have cobborated that is if he had passed a field sobriety test. Which is the one thing any poor schmuck, not named Kennedy, would have had if he had wrecked his car in front of the cops.

 

[oggbashan]

Try Yahoo's front page Og. A report on it was in the recent news when I logged in this morning.

I use UK or French Yahoo. There is no mention of it on either but I'm not surprised.

Celebrity trivia is more newsworthy - see other thread.

Og

 

[oggbashan]

Found the report on Yahoo.com and CNN.

It is still not on the UK or French Yahoos. Why should it be?

Someone hitting a security barrier with a car late at night wouldn't be newsworthy except for the name.

Og

 

[rgraham666]

Why do I get the feeling that if the legislator involved was Frist, DeLay, or Santorum, this thread wouldn't have been started?

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Why do I get the feeling that if the legislator involved was Frist, DeLay, or Santorum, this thread wouldn't have been started?

It would have. the only difference would be in the name under thread starter.

 

[R. Richard]

Why do I get the feeling that if the legislator involved was Frist, DeLay, or Santorum, this thread wouldn't have been started?

My reason for starting the thread was that a Congressman was accorded special treatment by the scumbags. It does not matter who the Congessman [or Congresswoman] is, it is an outrage that someone is allowed to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs [alcohol is a drug.] However, the real outrage is that the scumbags prevented the revocation of the Congressman's driving priviledge.

I have, however, had time to examine my position on the scumbags who let the Congressman off. NO DOUGHNUTS FOR THE ENTIRE FORCE FOR FOUR WEEKS!

 

[LadyJeanne]

What are the possible side effects of zolpidem (Ambien)?
• If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking zolpidem and seek emergency medical attention:
· an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, face, or tongue; hives); or
· hallucinations, abnormal behavior, or severe confusion.
• Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take zolpidem and talk to your doctor if you experience
· headache, drowsiness, dizziness, or clumsiness;
· nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation;
· depression;
· muscle aches or pains;
· vivid or abnormal dreams; or
· amnesia (memory loss) after a dose.

http://sleepdisorders.about.com/gi/...dn=sleepdisorders&zu=http://ambien.drugs.com/

Ambien's Strange Side Effects

NEW YORK, March 15, 2006
(AP / CBS)

One of my biggest problems with overeating is the guilt I feel along with the pleasure. Ambien absolves you of the guilt because you don't remember pigging out. Isn't that a plus?

(CBS) This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.I know I shouldn't make fun of this, but the accusations about the side effects of Ambien are pretty amazing.

Several people are suing the drug's maker because they claim that while under its influence, they go on eating binges while still asleep.

I saw pictures of a guy who climbed out of bed, walked to his fridge and started chowing down — and when asked about it later, claimed not to remember it.

Now in my personal battle of the bulge, I would think that would be of some comfort. One of my biggest problems with overeating is the guilt I feel along with the pleasure. Ambien absolves you of the guilt because you don't remember pigging out. Isn't that a plus?

Traces of Ambien have also been popping up in drivers who get in accidents and don't remember taking the wheel.

Look, Ambien has been on the market for more than a decade. Last year alone, more than 25 million prescriptions were written for the stuff. Do the math: That's a lot of pills, and a lot of people, and some of them are going to be doing weird things, pills or not.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/15/opinion/smith/main1406154.shtml

It really is too bad that he didn't take a breathalyzer test, as then this incident would bring visibility to what could be a scary side effect of Ambien, a drug millions of people are taking.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Sometimes, you just have to sit back and enjoy the irony. Lets assume for just a moment he was not drunk, and his condition was caused by a drug reaction.

Police see an accident and, oops, another drunk kennedy. What shall we do? Well, take him home and whatever you do, don't administer a sobriety test. Don't do anything so we don't have deniability.

Now the poor congressman is adamntly protesting that he wasn't drunk, but the one thing that could have cobborated that is if he had passed a field sobriety test. Which is the one thing any poor schmuck, not named Kennedy, would have had if he had wrecked his car in front of the cops.

*laugh* I do like the ironical element there. If the poor man really just mistimed his medications, it's his own rank and privilege that have undone him.

Rob, I have to agree with Colleen. This would be a thread regardless of who it was. It would just have been started by someone else. I think the chief thing affecting most posters, anyway, is not so much that it's a Democratic politician, but that it's Teddy Kennedy's son. Chappaquidik (sp?) may not roll easily out of the spell checker, but it lingers long in memory.

Shanglan

 

[Boxlicker101]

*laugh* I do like the ironical element there. If the poor man really just mistimed his medications, it's his own rank and privilege that have undone him.

Rob, I have to agree with Colleen. This would be a thread regardless of who it was. It would just have been started by someone else. I think the chief thing affecting most posters, anyway, is not so much that it's a Democratic politician, but that it's Teddy Kennedy's son. Chappaquidik (sp?) may not roll easily out of the spell checker, but it lingers long in memory.

Shanglan

I have to agree. If it had been Congressman Schmucky from Kentucky, it might not have been all that newsworthy, but Teddy's son is a natural.

 

[BlackShanglan]

It really is too bad that he didn't take a breathalyzer test, as then this incident would bring visibility to what could be a scary side effect of Ambien, a drug millions of people are taking.

Yes, I recently read a medical doctor's report on a number of car accidents involving people taking Ambien. Don't panic, users of Ambien; the doctor's conclusion was that every case that she'd seen involved either doses greatly in excess of the manufacturer's recommendations or usage completely at odds with the instructions - which state clearly that users should not take this drug unless they will be able to sleep for at least eight hours. If Congressman Kennedy was driving at 3 a.m., he may well not have had eight hours of sleep.

The doctor stated that many of the accidents on which she's compiled information were the result of people taking Ambien - sometimes in excessively large doses - before driving home, with the intention of going to bed when they got there. Please, if you use this drug, take very seriously the manufacturer's warning not to take it unless you are ready to go to sleep immediately. The doctor compiling the report observed that some of the worst-affected individuals had no memory of their actions or understanding of the events following their use of the drug; they simply awoke in emergency rooms asking how they got there.

Shanglan

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Yes, I recently read a medical doctor's report on a number of car accidents involving people taking Ambien. Don't panic, users of Ambien; the doctor's conclusion was that every case that she'd seen involved either doses greatly in excess of the manufacturer's recommendations or usage completely at odds with the instructions - which state clearly that users should not take this drug unless they will be able to sleep for at least eight hours. If Congressman Kennedy was driving at 3 a.m., he may well not have had eight hours of sleep.

The doctor stated that many of the accidents on which she's compiled information were the result of people taking Ambien - sometimes in excessively large doses - before driving home, with the intention of going to bed when they got there. Please, if you use this drug, take very seriously the manufacturer's warning not to take it unless you are ready to go to sleep immediately. The doctor compiling the report observed that some of the worst-affected individuals had no memory of their actions or understanding of the events following their use of the drug; they simply awoke in emergency rooms asking how they got there.

Shanglan

I take Ambien. It's good stuff, but it does make you sleepy. That's what it's for. And the bottle plainly says do not take if you cannot get a full eight hours sleep as it can leave you mentally affected.

To me it's a miracle drug. I can sleep. But like any drug, if you abuse it. it's just about guarenteed to cause problems rather than solve them.

 

[BlackShanglan]

I take Ambien. It's good stuff, but it does make you sleepy. That's what it's for. And the bottle plainly says do not take if you cannot get a full eight hours sleep as it can leave you mentally affected.

To me it's a miracle drug. I can sleep. But like any drug, if you abuse it. it's just about guarenteed to cause problems rather than solve them.

I use it as well. Its only flaw in my opinion is revealing what a complete light-weight I am in the sleep medication arena. Through a gradual process of experimentation I discovered the dosage that gives me some help getting to sleep while not leaving me groggy in the morning: 2.5 mg, or roughly 1/4 of the normal recommended dosage.

Horse tranquilizers? Forget it! I can't even take Benadryl.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I use it as well. Its only flaw in my opinion is revealing what a complete light-weight I am in the sleep medication arena. Through a gradual process of experimentation I discovered the dosage that gives me some help getting to sleep while not leaving me groggy in the morning: 2.5 mg, or roughly 1/4 of the normal recommended dosage.

Horse tranquilizers? Forget it! I can't even take Benadryl.

Hmm, sleepy horsey?

Aside from the lacivious visons that come with that, I cannot help but imagine a police man pullin gover an Amish farmer with a Horsey under the influence. What kind of ticket would he write?

Driving under the influence? Pulling under the influence? Maybe failure to meet equiptment standards?

 

[BlackShanglan]

Aside from the lacivious visons that come with that ...

How I love the word "lacivious."

I cannot help but imagine a police man pullin gover an Amish farmer with a Horsey under the influence. What kind of ticket would he write?

Driving under the influence? Pulling under the influence? Maybe failure to meet equiptment standards?

Contributing to the delinquency of a quadruped, if I have anything to do with it.

 

[R. Richard]

OK, sports fans, the latest installment. Kennedy says "no booze." A waitress at a bar he frequents says, "He was drinking." [They didn't say if her last name was Kopechene.] Comment?

Did another Kennedy get another road pass?
Patrick blames wreck on prescription drug,
bar hostess says congressman was drinking
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON – Has another Kennedy received special treatment by police after another suspicious car wreck?

That's the question on everyone's lips in the nation's capital today following a report that Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., wrecked his car while admittedly under the influence of a prescription drug.

As Kennedy tells the story, "I never asked for any preferential treatment." Asked whether he received it, he said "that's up for the police to decide."

He also says he had taken a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness, but consumed no alcohol, before crashing his car near the Capitol.

However, a hostess at a popular Capitol Hill bar, the Hawk 'n' Dove, told the Boston Herald she saw Kennedy drinking in the hours before the crash. "He was drinking a little bit," said the woman, who would not give her name.

Late last night as he left his office, Kennedy refused to say whether he had been to the Hawk 'n' Dove the night before, the paper reported.

A Herald reporter who visited bars where Kennedy is known to socialize said a bartender at the Tune Inn, next to the Hawk 'n' Dove, also said Kennedy was spotted Wednesday in the Hawk 'n' Dove, which describes itself as "Washington, D.C.'s oldest Irish bar."

The bar's manager, Edgar Gutierrez, said Kennedy is a regular, according to the Boston paper. Gutierrez said he was working Wednesday night but did not see the congressman.

Kennedy was cited for three traffic violations, according to a report by a U.S. Capitol Police officer.

Kennedy spokeswoman Robin Costello acknowledged the police report, but said "we have no knowledge of any citations."

The congressman plans to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. Eastern.

In a statement explaining his actions, Kennedy said the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Kennedy said that after working Wednesday evening he went home and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another drug that he sometimes takes to fall asleep.

In his statement, Kennedy said he apparently was disoriented from the drugs when he got up a little before 3 a.m. Thursday and drove to the Capitol thinking he needed to be present for a vote.

"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," Kennedy said. "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."

According the U.S. Constitution, congressmen have special protections on their way to and from a vote. Article 1, Section 6 says:

Senators and representatives "shall in all cases, except treason, felony [Note: drunk driving is a felony.] and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same."

"At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol," said Kennedy, going on to address questions about why he was not asked to take a sobriety test. "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."

"I have the utmost respect for the United States Capitol Police and the job they do to keep Members of Congress and the Capitol Complex safe," he continued. "I have contacted the Chief of Capitol Police and offered to meet with police representatives at their earliest convenience as I intend to cooperate fully with any investigation they choose to undertake."

But some are questioning the incident and the way it was handled by police.

Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, who was not on the scene, said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustang into a barrier on Capitol Hill.

"The officers on the scene, it is my understanding, smelled alcohol. And based on his demeanor and their experience, believed him to be intoxicated," Cannon told CBS News.

Cannon also says officers at the scene were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home.

A letter written by Capitol Police officer Greg Baird to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Baird wrote McGaffin that two sergeants who responded to the accident conferred with the watch commander and were ordered to leave the scene.

He said that after the officers left, Capitol Police officials gave Kennedy a ride home.

Cannon told CBS News, "I would think for the average citizen they would probably be taken into custody."

Cannon said that in certain circumstances officers will take people home, but he believes "because of who he is, courtesies were extended. ... If it had been you or me, we would have left in handcuffs."

Kennedy, who began his legislative career at age 21 in the Rhode Island Assembly, has served in Congress since 1994.

Before attending Providence College, he spent time at a drug rehabilitation clinic. He has admitted having mental health problems, including bipolar disorder.