Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call ; J Scott Applewhite/AP/Shutterstock
Two members of Congress were involved in a heated confrontation over the use of masks at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.
Now one of them, Republican Rep. Harold Rogers of Kentucky, is apologizing to the other, Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio.
“Today, while heading to the House floor for votes, I respectfully asked my colleague [Rogers] to put on a mask while boarding the train,” Beatty, 71, wrote in a TuesdayTwitter threadrecalling the incident. “He then poked my back, demanding I get on the train. When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, ‘Kiss my ass.’ "
“I’m a member of Congress, like you, and I’m a woman. You will not disrespect me. I will bring you up in front of ethics and everything else,” Beatty said, according to video recorded right after the incident that CNN played on Wednesday. “You picked the wrong woman for that.”
Rogers said he met in person with Beatty later that afternoon to apologize. “My words were not acceptable and I expressed my regret to her, first and foremost,” hesaid in a statement.
Masking among members of Congress has been an issue throughout much of theCOVID-19pandemic, mirroring how it has become politicized in general.
Two Georgia lawmakers, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Clyde, had racked up more than$100,000 in finesfor refusing to follow a rule that requires mask use in the House Chamber.
Assistant Speaker of the House Katherine Clark suggested theuse of isolation boxesfor members who show up without a mask.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty
Beatty described the “hyper-partisan environment” in Congress, saying members of the Capitol Hill community have “gone rogue” and think they can say and do whatever they want.
“This is the kind of disrespect we have been fighting for years, and indicative of the larger issue we have with GOP Members flaunting health and safety mandates designed to keep us and our staff safe,” Beatty wrote infollow-up tweetsabout her confrontation with Rogers. “When you are ready to grow up and apologize for your behavior, you know where to find me.”
Beatty told CNN she went to Congressional leadership and the House Sergeant at Arms to demand an apology but Rogers “did not come forth at first.”
Later, she said, “when he came to the floor to apologize — mind you, without a mask on — I stepped back. And as he reached out to touch my arm, I told him, ‘Don’t touch me,’ and I moved back because he didn’t have a mask on. With that, he mumbled some words and I told leadership that wasn’t acceptable. I wanted a public apology.”
Since Rogers issued a statement saying he apologized, Beatty says she has accepted it.
“I’m moving on,” she added. “But I won’t stop standing up for what I believe in. And if you ride the train … you put a mask on.”
source: people.com
