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GOP Lawmaker Apologizes for Cursing Democrat Over Mask Request

House Democrat Accuses Republican Colleague of Insult Over Mask

A longtime Republican lawmaker said he had apologized to the head of the Congressional Black Caucus for cursing at her during an encounter in which she asked him to wear a mask in the U.S. Capitol, illustrating the bubbling tension over Covid-19 rules in the House.

Representative Hal Rogers of Kentucky said he extended the apology to Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who tweeted that the four-decade Republican lawmaker “poked” her in the back after she asked him to put on a mask on the Capitol subway and said “kiss my a--” when she objected to being touched.

“This afternoon, I met with Congresswoman Beatty to personally apologize,” Rogers, 84, said in a statement. “My words were not acceptable and I expressed my regret to her, first and foremost.”

Beatty, 71, said before the apology that Rogers’ action was disrespectful and illustrated the attitude of many Republicans regarding health rules.

GOP Lawmaker Apologizes for Cursing Democrat Over Mask Request

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus had demanded a public apology from Rogers and some them called his actions racist.

“This was harassment of a woman, a Black woman and a woman in leadership because he put his hands on her,” Representative Brenda Lawrence, a Michigan Democrat, said. “And I can tell you, being a little Black girl from the east side of Detroit, I would not take that standing or sitting and I’m not going to take a standing or sitting for one of our own to be disrespected.”

A former chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Rogers, who is White, was long known for having congenial relationships with Democrats and striking bipartisan spending deals.

For months, Democrats and Republicans have been at odds over coronavirus-related restrictions in the House. Several Republican lawmakers have racked up thousands of dollars in fines for refusing to obey a regulation to wear masks on the House floor.

GOP Lawmaker Apologizes for Cursing Democrat Over Mask Request

In the hallways over the last six months, most Democrats were to be seen wearing masks while most Republicans were going about unmasked. Republicans argue that given the efficacy of vaccines, the mask mandate should be rescinded and the Capitol should be re-opened to the public for tours. 

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