Congresswoman Claims GOP Rep. Said ‘Kiss My Ass’ When She Asked Him Not to Touch Her

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) said on Twitter that Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) made a less than gentlemanly comment to her at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Beatty claimed that when she asked Rogers to put a mask on while boarding the train under the Capitol, he responded by poking her in the back and telling her to get on. When she asked Rogers not to touch her, Beatty said he replied, “Kiss my ass.”

The congressman has now said he apologized for the remark.

Beatty tweeted about the incident and even put Rogers on blast by including his Twitter handle.

Rogers is currently the second-longest serving member of the House, having taken office in 1981. Beatty has served in the House since 2013 and is the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. She castigated the congressman in a follow-up tweet, saying it’s “the kind of disrespect we’ve been fighting for years.”

Beatty said Rogers’ actions speak to a broader problem with House Republicans.

Beatty then told Rogers “when you are ready to grow up and apologize for your behavior, you know where to find me.”

As with other parts of the country, masking has been a contentious issue at the Capitol. Several GOP House members have skirted the chamber’s rules governing mask-wearing. Perhaps the most notable case is that of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has repeatedly flouted the rules. As a result, she has incurred nearly $90,000 in fines.

“I’m up to almost $90,000 in fines because I believe as a representative, in order to represent the people, I have to be willing to do it myself,” she said in January.

Rogers’ office did not respond when Mediaite asked for comment.

CNN’s Manu Raju later reported that Rogers told him he apologized to Beatty.

“My words were not acceptable,” he said.