Rep. Kennedy says he took medication before crash

WASHINGTON — Rep. Patrick Kennedy crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness.

Kennedy's initial statement said, "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident." Later, after a spate of news reports, he issued a longer statement saying a doctor had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.

Kennedy, D-R.I., said he took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another medication that he occasionally takes to fall asleep. "Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote," his statement said. "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."

The last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier.

Kennedy appeared to be intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustang into a barrier, said Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police. Cannon, who was not there, said officers at the scene were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home. No sobriety tests were conducted.

Exxon retirement deal draws scrutiny

A House committee has asked Exxon Mobil for detailed information about a lucrative retirement package given to its former chairman, Lee Raymond, calling it an "exorbitant payout" when motorists are paying $3 a gallon for gasoline.

Raymond, who recently retired, was given a total package of nearly $400 million including salary, bonus, stock options and a one-year $1 million consulting arrangement.

The request was made as the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters to the country's five biggest oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, seeking detailed information about the companies' spending and investment priorities in light of huge profits over the past year as crude prices jumped to a recent high of more than $75 a barrel.

The relatively small amount invested in increasing refinery capacity "is cause for concern," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, the committee chairman, who opened a hearing into soaring oil and gasoline prices on Thursday.

A House panel Thursday approved spending $5 million in federal funds to buy land for a memorial on the Pennsylvania field where United Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001.

Compiled from The Associated Press