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From Denial to Admission
At first, Clingan denied he’d been drinking. But as the questioning continued, he finally admitted to having “one drink.” Officers, however, noticed a second empty bottle nearby.
Four officers eventually arrived on the scene — not because of resistance or danger, but because no one could quite believe who they were dealing with.
Clingan even handed over his business card to confirm his position.
One officer voiced what everyone was thinking:
“I think my biggest concern is you’re going to go to work intoxicated and then try to prosecute these cases on behalf of us.”
Clingan tried to brush it off, saying, “I’m not in court today, and I’m not intoxicated.”
But moments later, he conceded, “This looks terrible, and I get it.”
A Courtesy Ride Instead of a Charge
Instead of being taken in for a sobriety test, Clingan was given a courtesy ride home in the front seat of a cruiser — a privilege few ordinary citizens could expect.
And in a final twist, he asked officers to wait until his wife left the house so she wouldn’t see him being dropped off by police.
Clingan was cited for drinking in public, a Class 4 misdemeanor, but not arrested.
The “Woke Justice” Pattern Under Steve Descano
This embarrassing episode fits a disturbing pattern for Steve Descano’s so-called progressive prosecutor’s office.
Under Descano’s leadership, Fairfax County has repeatedly made headlines for letting dangerous offenders walk free while pursuing “equity reforms” that put ideology ahead of justice.
In one case, Richard Kenneth Cox, a registered sex offender, was accused of exposing himself in women’s locker rooms. Descano’s office declined to prosecute.
In another, a predator named Ryan Duarte groomed a 14-year-old online — but instead of facing decades in prison, the office pressured the victim into accepting a lenient plea deal. Duarte walked with a slap on the wrist, despite facing up to 60 years.
A Culture of Excuses
With one of Descano’s own senior assistants caught drinking before work, the dysfunction inside his office is undeniable.
It’s not just a one-off scandal — it’s a symbol of what happens when a justice system stops taking justice seriously.
The same prosecutors who turn a blind eye to predators and criminals apparently turn one on themselves too.
Because when your “woke” priority is leniency over law and feelings over facts, you end up with prosecutors who treat public intoxication like a morning routine — and a DA’s office that looks more like a punchline than a pillar of justice.
