Florida representative Trey Radel said he will take a leave of absence from Congress and donate his salary to charity after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for cocaine possession.

"I'm owning up to my actions. I'm taking responsibility," Radel told reporters at a news conference Wednesday night at his office in Cape Coral, Fla.

"I'm struggling with this disease, but I know that I can overcome it," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Radel was placed on one year's probation with "minimal supervision" after pleading guilty to cocaine possession in a Washington, D.C. court, according to ABC News. He was targeted in an undercover string operation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, prosecutors said. An undercover officer said he sold 3.5 grams of cocaine to Radel. 

He also admitted to having a drug addiction problem. "I've been dealing with this on and off for years. The most important thing is to rely on professionals," Radel said.

The conservative congressman plans to start "intensive inpatient treatment" immediately. "I will be taking a leave of absence and all offices, this team that I have in Washington and here in southwest Florida, will be working every single day like they have been for this past year for you," Radel continued. "They are working hard. They are here to serve the people and they will continue to do so."

However, Radel did not say he would resign. 

Radel is yet another politician whose transgression has become a public scandal. The potent force of political power has drawn many public figures to commit illegal acts, resulting in political scandals that are etched into the American public's memory. Here is a list of five of the most shocking and memorable scandals in American political history. 

5. Marion Barry Cocaine Scandal

Marion Barry was the mayor of Washington, D.C. in the 1980s and '90s. In 1990, he and his ex-girlfriend, Rasheeda Moore, were arrested for possession of cocaine outside the Vista Hotel. During the ordeal, Barry uttered the now infamous phrase, "B**** set me up." He served a six-month prison sentence. In 1991, Barry surrendered himself to a correctional facility. He was released in 1992, and ran for Ward 8 City Council seat in the 1992 election. Shockingly, he won, then ran for mayor in 1994 and won again. He is currently a member of the D.C. City Council. 

4. Eliot Spitzer Prostitution Scandal

Eliot Spitzer was the governor of New York from 2007-2008. He resigned after it was revealed that he had been meeting a 22-year-old call girl known simply as "Kristen," whose real name is Ashley Dupre. Spitzer was called "Client 9," and met with Kristen in Room 871 in the Mayflower Hotel. He later paid her $4,300 in cash, $1,000 of which was for their future liaisons. It was later revealed that Spitzer paid about $80,000 to prostitutes during his time as attorney-general and governor. He resigned after political officials threatened impeachment. 

3. Chappaquiddick

Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962. While he is now remembered as a liberal who championed worthy causes such as education and universal health care, he faced serious personal issues as a young man. On July 18, 1969, he attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts, then left he party with 29-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, who had campaigned for Ted's brother Robert F. Kennedy. During the drive home, Kennedy's car veered off a bridge into the water and Kopechne drowned. Kennedy tried saving her, but it was to no avail.

He did not report the incident until the next day, saying the crash dazed him. There was speculation that he was driving under the influence, but nothing was proven. Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the accident and received a two-month suspended jail sentence and lost his driver's license for one year. 

While the scandal hurt his bid for the presidency in 1980, he served successfully as a Senator until his death in 2009. 

2. Monica Lewinsky Scandal 

Inarguably the most famous political sex scandal of all time was when Monica Lewinsky, a secretary for the White House, had a sexual relationship with Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States. Lewinsky was hired as a secretary in 1995, and formed a close relationship with Clinton. Linda Tripp, a close friend of Lewinsky, secretly recorded their phone conversations. It was revealed that they had a sexual relationship from 1995-1997. The scandal led to Clinton's impeachment on the grounds of perjury and obstruction of justice. However, he was acquitted by the Senate. 

1. Watergate

While the Lewinsky scandal is the most famous political sex scandal, the biggest political scandal in history is the Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. 

Five men were caught breaking into the Democratic National Convention headquarters in the Watergate building in June 1972. It was revealed that Nixon had a tape-recording system in the office and was wiretapping the conversations of those in the DNC. He was ordered to hand over the tapes, and many senior Nixon officials were arrested. Using anonymous sources, Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered Watergate and the scandal's cover-up by the Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA and the White House.  When Nixon's impeachment was inevitable, he resigned, and Vice President Gerald Ford took office. Ford pardoned Nixon, which outraged many who believed Nixon should have faced criminal charges.