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Florida聽congressman Henry "Trey" Radel聽plans to take a leave of absence and donate his salary to charity, he said on Wednesday night after earlier pleading guilty in聽D.C. Superior Court聽to a misdemeanor charge of possession of cocaine.

Radel, 37, a Republican who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives last year with the backing of the conservative Tea Party movement, was sentenced to one year of probation on a charge of buying 3.5 grams of cocaine in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood on Oct. 29 in the presence of an undercover agent.

"I have no excuse for what I have done," he told reporters late Wednesday at his office in Cape Coral, near聽Fort Myers聽on聽Florida's聽west coast. "I'm owning up to my actions," he added, saying he hoped to be "a better man for聽southwest Florida" as he struggles to overcome "this disease."

In an earlier statement, Radel聽said his "struggles with alcoholism" had led him to make an "extremely irresponsible choice."

"I am so sorry to be here. I know I have let my constituents down, my country down and, most importantly, my family, including my wife and my 2-year-old, who doesn't know it yet," Radel聽told Judge聽Robert Tignor聽on Wednesday morning.

Radel said that he would enter an "intensive" in-patient drug treatment program in聽Florida聽during his leave of absence.

He did not say how long he planned to be absent, nor which charity would receive his salary.

Radel appeared to have no plans to resign from the House of Representatives, saying his staff will handle his affairs in his absence.

The case against Radel聽stemmed from an investigation by聽Federal Bureau of Investigation聽and Drug Enforcement Administration agents into cocaine trafficking in the Washington area, Assistant U.S. Attorney聽Nihar Mohanty聽said.

"Today's guilty plea emerges from a broader narcotics investigation that brought to light information that a sitting member of聽Congress聽was routinely using and buying cocaine," U.S. Attorney聽Ronald Machen聽Jr. said in a statement.

Court papers indicate that Radel, a former TV broadcaster and radio show host who has described himself on Twitter as a "hip-hop conservative," met an acquaintance and the undercover officer at a Dupont Circle restaurant at 10 p.m. on Oct. 29. Radel聽told the pair that he had cocaine in his apartment, the court documents say, and he invited them to the apartment to share the drug.

They declined, and the undercover agent offered to sell Radel聽more cocaine, the papers say. Radel聽agreed and gave them $260. After they retrieved the cocaine from the acquaintance's vehicle, Radel聽was approached by officers and dropped the cocaine on the ground. He then invited them to his apartment and surrendered another vial of cocaine, the court papers say.

Radel's attorney,聽David Schertler, asked for six months of probation for Radel, who under Washington, D.C., law faced up to 180 days in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. Tignor ordered him to pay a $250 fine and serve one year of probation, a typical sentence for a first offender in Washington.

If Radel聽had been caught in his home state of聽Florida聽buying an equal amount of cocaine he could have faced felony charges that could have resulted in a prison sentence.

However, first-time offenders like Radel聽"are generally allowed to participate in a聽Drug Court, where they receive outpatient treatment for a year and then the charges are dismissed," said聽David Weinstein, a former聽Florida聽state prosecutor.

Schertler said that Radel聽had been in out-patient treatment in Washington, and would enter an in-patient facility in Naples,聽Florida.

In聽Collier County,聽Florida, which Radel聽represents in聽Congress, Democrats called for Radel's resignation and accused him of hypocrisy for, among other things, opposing the legalization of medical marijuana and advocating drug testing for welfare recipients.

"Congressman Trey Radel's conduct is an embarrassment to his district and to the state of聽Florida,"聽Scott Arceneaux, executive director of the聽Florida Democratic Party, said in a statement.

Lenny Curry, chairman of聽Florida's聽Republican Party, said, "I'm deeply disappointed in Congressman Radel's choices. I am glad that he is seeking help."

(Additional reporting by David Adams and Kevin Gray in Miami; Editing by David Lindsey, Vicki Allen and Ken Wills)