WASHINGTON — Rep. Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was briefly arrested after an interaction with police at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., said a spokesperson for the congressman told NBC News.

The spokesperson said McCaul was not arrested and was not threatening anyone, but police approached him because he appeared drunk and needed help. McCaul was then able to call a family member to pick him up from the airport and take him back to Washington.

A Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority police spokesman said McCaul was accused of being drunk in public around 9 p.m. on Nov. 4 and handed over to a driver who picked him up.

McCaul’s spokesman said the congressman, who is a nervous traveler, took the drug Ambien to help him sleep on a flight back to Texas and inadvertently missed his flight.

As he worked to rebook his flight, the Ambien, which he had mixed with several alcoholic drinks, disoriented him and he locked himself out of his phone, the spokesperson said.

This led to his encounter with police, who initially thought he was simply drunk and arrested him, the spokesperson said. After McCaul explained the situation, police helped him use one of their phones to call a family member who picked him up at the airport.

The spokesperson said McCaul was respectful to police throughout the encounter.

“Two weekends ago I made a mistake for which I take full responsibility. I missed a flight to Texas and found myself disoriented at the airport. This is the result of a poor decision I made to mix an Ambien – which I took to sleep on the next flight – with alcohol,” McCaul said in a statement to NBC News.

He added: “Law enforcement officers briefly detained me while I waited for a family member to come pick me up. I have nothing but respect and gratitude for the officers who pulled me over that evening. This incident does not reflect who I am and who I strive to be. As a human, I am not perfect. But I am determined to learn from this mistake and, God willing, become a better person.

McCaul oversees one of the most powerful committees in the House of Representatives and often travels around the world on behalf of the Speaker of the House to meet with foreign leaders and dignitaries.

Republicans have a policy of term limits for chairs and ranking committee members, and McCaul is expected to reach that limit at the end of his current term. To continue to chair the Foreign Affairs Committee, he must request and receive a waiver from the House Steering Committee, which McCaul said he plans to request.

McCaul was easily re-elected to his 11th term in the House and previously served as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Members returned to Washington this week after Republicans retook the White House and Senate, also retaining control of the House.

The House and Senate begin their lame duck session, a term used to describe the time between the election and the start of a new administration during which incumbent members and those who did not win re-election are still serving in Congress .

On Wednesday, House Republicans met at the Hyatt Regency in Washington hold their leadership candidate forum and elections, although the results of some battleground House races are still unknown.

President-elect Donald Trump stopped by the Hyatt to meet with the House Republican caucus before a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House.

During the meeting with House Republicans, the president-elect endorsed the candidacy of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for another term in the position.