Allison Lee-Hinchey, the wife of retiring Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), was arrested for drunk driving on Wednesday, just hours after news broke that her husband was planning to announce he would retire after his current term.
YNN reports:
Albany police said Allison Lee, 49, rear-ended a car at the intersection of Lark and Lancaster streets shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday. After failing a field sobriety test, police said her blood alcohol content was found to be .14 percent. She was arraigned this morning in Albany City Court.
Lee was arrested on similar charges last May. She addressed the latest incident in a statement Thursday.
"I am committed to addressing this both legally and personally," she wrote, according to the Albany Times Union. "I am deeply sorry and apologize to my colleagues and friends."
Rep. Hinchey made his formal announcement Thursday at a 1 p.m. news conference and was reportedly questioned by the press on his wife's arrest.
"Not the time," one attendee responded, according to the Times Union. Hinchey proceeded without comment.
Hinchey's retirement plans initially emerged on Wednesday afternoon. The Associated Press reported that he'd recently completed treatment for colon cancer, and had since been declared cancer-free.
The Huffington Post's Amanda Terkel reported last year that Hinchey, a progressive congressman serving his 10th term, was facing a serious challenge from a strong Republican candidate backed by well-funded independent groups, including Karl Rove-linked American Crossroads. For more on the politics at play in New York's 22nd congressional district, read the rest of Terkel's piece here.