Mike Johnson defended his longtime aide after his alleged drunken arrest

HOUSE Speaker Mike Johnson’s chief of staff has been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.

Hayden Haynes was detained on Tuesday evening after being accused of crashing into a parked car just minutes after President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress.

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“A driver backed into a parked vehicle last night around 11:40 p.m.,” Capitol Police said in a statement to The U.S. Sun.

“We responded and arrested them for DUI.”

Haynes was later released with a citation to appear in court, NBC News reported.

Speaker Johnson jumped to the defense of his chief of staff after being asked if he was planning on standing by Haynes.

He simply responded, “I am, I am.”

Johnson’s office later echoed these thoughts, saying the Louisiana representative has “full faith and confidence in Hayden”.

“The Speaker is aware of the encounter that occurred last night involving his Chief of Staff and the Capitol Police,” a spokesperson for Johnson told NBC News.

“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.”

Hayden and Johnson’s relationship dates back to 2016, before the Louisiana Republican became House speaker in October 2023.

Between 2017 to 2023, Hayden served as Johnson’s chief of staff in his personal office.

Johnson and his wife, Kelly, also attended Hayden’s wedding in 2019, when he married Jennifer Hayden in a ceremony in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to a Facebook post shared by the House speaker, 53.

The key moments from Trump’s first Congress address…

• Petty Democrats refuse to stand as Trump enters the room
• Representative Al Green is thrown out just minutes into the address
• Republicans give suited Elon Musk a standing ovation as Trump applauded his DOGE efforts
• Trump slams ‘total mess’ that he inherited from Biden
• Democrats hold signs protesting the Trump administration and walk out during his address
• Trump doubles down on reciprocal taxes coming April 2
• Tells politicians he’s ‘reclaiming’ the Panama Canal
• Trump reveals a surprise letter he received from Zelensky and insists Russia has given him ‘strong signals’ they are ready for peace

Hayden’s arrest took place 45 minutes after President Trump delivered fiery remarks to Congress members during a joint address.

During his 100-minute speech, Trump brushed off trouble-making Democrats who attempted to disrupt his remarks and doubled down on his goals as president.

“The American Dream is unstoppable,” Trump declared.

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The president continued his address by highlighting a list of accomplishments and executive orders he’s signed since taking office on January 20.

“We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years,” Trump said, before promising “we are just getting started.”

Trump boasted that he ended diversity initiatives and enforced only two legally recognized genders.

“Our country will be woke no longer,” he added.

President Trump vowed he was setting out to “make America affordable again,” before blaming the rising price of eggs on his predecessor.

“You inherited a total mess from the previous administration,” he added as a dig at former President Joe Biden.

President Trump’s emphatic remarks came as prices in the United States continue to rise in light of the trade war with China – and costs might continue to increase due to the punishing tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports that took effect at 12:01 am on Tuesday.

The steep levies on America’s three largest trading partners sparked swift retaliation tariffs from Canada and China.

Trump said during his address that tariffs will “make America rich again” after Biden took the country to “the lowest we’ve ever been.”

Trump has continued his powerful global rhetoric today as he delivered terror group Hamas a chilling “last warning” to return all the hostages immediately or face death and destruction.

The Republican’s powerful promise to obliterate the terror group comes after the US officially held secret talks with Hamas for the first time in their history.

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