House Speaker Mike Johnson's Chief of Staff Arrested for DUI After Trump Speech

According to a Johnson spokesperson, the speaker supports his chief of staff and "has full faith and confidence" in him.

WASHINGTON --  Hayden Haynes, chief of staff to House Speaker Mike

Johnson, R-La., and one of the most powerful aides on Capitol Hill, was arrested after President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress on suspicion of drunken driving after colliding with a Capitol vehicle, according to two law enforcement sources.  Johnson's office has also acknowledged the occurrence.

According to one of the sources, a police report claimed that Haynes struck a Capitol vehicle around midnight and was arrested before being released with a ticket to appear in court.  He was arrested following Trump's speech on Tuesday night, during which Johnson presided over the House floor and sat right behind the president's left shoulder.

"A driver backed into a parked vehicle last night around 11:40 p.m.," the United States Capitol Police said in a statement.  "We responded and arrested them for DUI."

Haynes is Johnson's trusted and longstanding aide.  Since Johnson was elected Speaker of the House in October 2023, he has served as Chief of Staff.  Previously, from 2017 to 2023, Haynes served as Johnson's chief of staff.  From 2009 until 2016, he also served in various capacities for former Sen. David Vitter, a fellow Louisiana Republican.

When asked by NBC News on Wednesday if he supported Haynes, Johnson responded, "Yes.  I am."

According to Johnson spokesperson Taylor Haulsee, "The Speaker is aware of the incident that occurred last night involving his Chief of Staff and the Capitol Police."  The Speaker has known and worked closely with Hayden for more than a decade, and he has trusted him to be his Chief of Staff during his service in Congress.  Because of this, as well as Hayden's well-known reputation among Members and staff, the Speaker has complete faith in his abilities to head the Speaker's office."

While the United States Attorney's Office prosecutes most crimes in Washington for the District of Columbia, DUI charges are prosecuted by the D.C. Office of the Attorney General, which D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb leads.

The distinction could be significant since Ed Martin, the temporary United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, is a conservative activist with ties to Republicans on Capitol Hill.  Martin, whom Trump wants to be the city's permanent federal prosecutor, was given access to Capitol Police video from the Jan. 6, 2021, disturbance, which he exploited to disseminate conspiracy theories about the attacks.  Schwalb's office did not immediately return a request for comment.

 Last month, Washington police issued an arrest warrant for Rep. Cory Mills, R-Florida, but Martin's office would not sign it.  Mills had been investigated for an assault in an apartment complex, and he claimed police had helped "resolve a private matter."