Paul Strauss isn’t the only senator in recent history to be brought up on criminal charges, but he may be the only one whose credentials as a senator are somewhat iffy.

City Desk reported today that a police affidavit states that Shadow Senator Strauss flashed his U.S. Senate credentials during an early-October traffic stop that resulted in a DUI charge. (He recently pleaded not guilty.)

While speaking to Strauss, Rodriguez—who gave the affidavit—noted that his breath smelled of alcohol and that he “had a blank stare, blood shot eyes and appeared confused.” Strauss had “difficulty retrieving” his driver’s license, according to the officer’s account, but he had less difficulty producing another form of identification: While handing over his license, Strauss “displayed his US Senate ID with his right hand…[and] continued to hold the US Senate ID the entire time” until he was told to get out of the car.

“Is this necessary?” Strauss asked.

The recently re-elected Strauss is one of the District’s two shadow senators, a symbolic position that carries few privileges and no pay. While he does have a Senate ID badge, he’s not allowed on the floor of the Senate, much less can he cast a vote. His job is to lobby for D.C. statehood and voting rights, a task he has done with a certain amount of flair despite not having any actual senatorial gravitas (he likes to tout how he’s been able to get young TV star Hayden Panetierre to lend her support to the voting rights movement, for instance.)

Paul Craney, executive director of the DC Republican Committee (and therefore himself in the running for holding one of the more useless local politics job titles in the city) was quick to issue a statement condemning Strauss for bringing embarrassment to his office. “Senator Paul Strauss continues to make headlines and all for the wrong reasons. He is bringing more recognition to his Shadow Senate position by his drunk driving arrest and the DC Auditor report than his work on the Hill,” Craney said.

We can’t say we’re really all that surprised that this police officer is saying Strauss tried to throw his weight around during his alleged drunk stop. As we learned when we followed him around the Democratic National Convention this summer, the Shadow Senator loves to let people think he’s a real senator.

Photo by KCIvey