Rep. Hal Rogers said he has apologized to Rep. Joyce Beatty, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, after she took to Twitter on Tuesday alleging that he scoffed at her request to wear a mask and poked her in the back.
The Ohio Democrat said she asked the Kentucky Republican to wear a mask before boarding a train in the Capitol complex.
“He then poked my back, demanding I get on the train,” she wrote. “When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, ‘kiss my a**.’”
? Today, while heading to the House floor for votes, I respectfully asked my colleague @RepHalRogers to put on a mask while boarding the train. He then poked my back, demanding I get on the train. When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, “kiss my ass.” (1/3)
— Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) February 8, 2022
In an emailed statement, Rogers said, “This afternoon, I met with Congresswoman Beatty to personally apologize. My words were not acceptable and I expressed my regret to her, first and foremost.”
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In subsequent tweets prior to Rogers disclosing his apology, Beatty said, “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.”
Some Republican members have flouted House rules requiring face masks be worn on the House floor as a COVID-19 mitigation effort. Some have even accumulated thousands of dollars in fines from the Ethics Committee.
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Beatty also added earlier that when Rogers is “ready to grow up and apologize for your behavior, you know where to find me.” Other House Democrats and Congressional Black Caucus members swiftly condemned the remarks after Beatty’s tweet.
Rogers, who has been in the House since 1981, was fined by the Ethics Committee in April last year for evading metal detectors mandated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a security measure after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. A similar allegation was dropped in May.
