Congresswoman Speaks Out on GOP Colleague’s Telling Her ‘Kiss My Ass’: ‘I Have No Tolerance for Bullying’

Ken MeyerFeb 9th, 2022, 9:07 am
 

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH) reflected on her dust-up with Representative Hal Rogers (R-KY) and his apology for telling her to “kiss my ass.”

CNN’s John Berman spoke to Beatty on Wednesday, a day after she accused Rogers of acting disrespectfully toward her while they were riding the train beneath the U.S. Capitol. Beatty said she asked Rogers to wear a mask on board, to which, he responded by poking her in the back before telling off the Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman in vulgar terms.

Rogers later announced his personal apology to Beatty, saying “My words were not acceptable and I expressed my regret to her.”

Recalling the encounter on New Day, Beatty described her anger over Rogers’ behavior after she reminded him of the mask rules on the train.

“I told him I would not be disrespected, that I was a colleague of his, and I was a black woman,” Beatty said. “I wasn’t going to be bullied by him. I told him he picked the wrong woman today because I was not going to be bullied.”

Beatty attributed Rogers’ conduct to the country’s “hyper-partisan” sociopolitical environment before reaffirming her point that “I have no tolerance for bullying.”

“I also believe in civility, and that’s why I think it is important for me to express that this is not acceptable,” she said.

Beatty went on to say Rogers initially tried apologizing to her on the House floor, but he still wasn’t wearing a mask, and he “mumbled some words” after Beatty stepped back from him. The congresswoman said this attempted apology “wasn’t acceptable” to her, and Rogers wound up giving his public apology later, to which, Beatty said “I have accepted his public apology and I’m moving on. But I won’t stop standing up for what I believe in.”

Watch above, via CNN.

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