Republican Ted Yoho, who represents Ocala in Congress, apologized on the floor of the U.S. House Wednesday for what he said when he confronted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the steps of the Capitol.
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U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho[/caption]
On Monday, a reporter with The Hill overheard Yoho haranguing the prominent progressive Democrat about issues of poverty and crime and, as they separated, heard him use a profanity and a sexist slur to describe her.
Yoho’s apology aired on C-SPAN.
"I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York," he said. "It is true that we disagree on policies and visions for America, but that does not mean we should be disrespectful."
He said the offensive name-calling was not spoken to his colleagues, that he has known poverty -- and that people can succeed without being encouraged to break the law.
"I cannot apologize for my passion," he added, "or for loving my God, my family and my country."
Ocasio-Cortez responded in a series of tweets, saying that Yoho didn't say her name, didn't take responsibility and had mischaracterized a "verbal assault" as a conversation.
She tweeted: "This is not an apology."