The head of the Congressional Ethics Office was charged with a DUI after crashing into a Pennsylvania home.
Omar Ashmawy also crashed into two parked cars and plowed over a stop sign last month, according to documents obtained by Yahoo News. He is being charged with driving under the influence, careless driving, driving on roadways laned for traffic, and violating restrictions on alcohol in a vehicle.
The owner of the house and one of the cars hit, Hector Fernandez, told the news outlet about the incident.
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“I heard a loud boom, almost like a firework. Real loud, boom,” he recalled. “And then I heard a loud boom that shook my house.”
Fernandez said Ashmawy then stumbled out of the car looking “highly intoxicated” and promised to pay for the damages if Fernandez didn’t call the police.
“He almost looked stunned. Probably from hitting my house. He was definitely disoriented,” Fernandez said. “Don’t do that. Don’t call the police. Come on. Don’t do that,” he recalled Ashmawy saying.
“We take this matter very seriously and the Board will be reviewing the circumstances surrounding it,” a statement from Mike Barnes and Paul Vinovich, co-chairmen of the board of the Office of Congressional Ethics, said, as reported by Yahoo News. “In the meantime, Mr. Ashmawy has been placed on leave to deal with the issues that contributed to this incident. Helen Eisner will serve as the Acting Staff Director during his absence.”
Ashmawy said the incident has led him finally to confront his alcoholism.
“I’ve had some medical issues including a diagnosis of syncope that I am dealing with in this case, but this incident was a wake-up call to me that I have a problem with alcohol dependency,” he said in a statement. “I’ve since sought out treatment for my use of alcohol, and I’m currently in a program where I am addressing this dependency. I’m grateful for the continued support of my family, friends and colleagues.”
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A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 1.
Ashmawy previously got in trouble over his alcohol usage while in his current position, which he has held for 12 years. In 2015, he was accused of sexually harassing, then physically assaulting, two women, Foreign Policy reported. However, William Beaman, a spokesperson for the Office of Congressional Ethics, told Yahoo News that an independent investigation cleared Ashmawy of any wrongdoing.
