LaHood 'very disappointed' in FAA chief's drunk driving arrest

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters Tuesday that he was "very disappointed" in Federal Aviation Administration chief Randy Babbitt's arrest on drunk driving charges.

The Washington Post reported that LaHood told reporters after testifying in a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday that he learned of Babbitt's arrest last Saturday from news reports that were released on Monday.

“We’re looking into the matter," the paper reported LaHood said. "I’ve talked to Randy about it and we’ll see where it takes us. What I told Randy is that I was very disappointed with the way that I learned about this, through a press release from Fairfax." 

"This is a personnel matter," he continued. "I’ve talked to Randy. I’ll continue to talk to Randy and as soon as anything develops you’ll all be the first to know." 

Babbitt, 65, was arrested Saturday night in Fairfax, Va., after a police officer spotted him driving on the wrong side of the road. The Department of Transportation said he was placed on administrative leave after being arrested and that his employment status was being evaluated by lawyers.

Babbitt, who is a former airline pilot that was appointed to head the FAA by President Obama in 2009, is in the middle of a five-year term. He told The Hill, which profiled him last week, that he did not plan to seek re-appointment.

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