State lawmaker Tou Xiong apologizes after driving under the influence
A member of Minnesota's House of Representatives has revealed he was pulled over for driving under the influence earlier this month.
Rep. Tou Xiong, who represents District 52A (which covers big chunks of Maplewood and Woodbury), made the announcement in a news release on Friday:
In the statement, Xiong said he made "a terrible mistake" on the night of Saturday, Jan. 8., when he was stopped for DWI after a community gathering.
"My actions are inexcusable and I sincerely apologize," he said. "I have a lot of work to do in the coming days, weeks, and months to earn back the trust of my constituents and people I’ve let down, and that will be my focus going forward.“
He gave no other details about the incident, which happened less than a month after the much-publicized DWI crash of Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson — over which he is now facing calls to resign.
Xiong is a DFLer who's in his second term as a state representative.