TOPLINE
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) took to the House floor Wednesday morning on the advice of House leadership after reports surfaced Tuesday that he cursed at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), but Yoho drew sharp criticism for calling the exchange a “misunderstanding” and refusing to apologize for having “passion” and for loving God, his family, and his country.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks on the floor of the House of Representatives at the ... [+]
KEY FACTS
"I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York," Yoho said Wednesday morning, while also denying that he ever directed profane language toward Ocasio-Cortez.
It was reported that Yoho confronted Ocasio-Cortez on Monday, calling her "disgusting" for suggesting the recent crime surge in New York City was attributable to a rise in unemployment and poverty resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
"You are out of your freaking mind," Yoho reportedly told Ocasio-Cortez, and as he was walking away, Yoho uttered the words "F*cking b*tch," according to reporter Mike Lillis of The Hill.
Several congressmen strongly condemned Yoho and demanded an apology on AOC's behalf, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who proclaimed, “Mr. Yoho owes not only the Congresswoman an apology, but an apology on the floor of the House."
Yoho, who was emotional during his brief soliloquy Wednesday morning on the House floor, stated, "the offensive name-calling — words attributed to me by the press, were never spoken to my colleague, and if they were construed that way I apologize for their misunderstanding," before concluding, "I cannot apologize for my passion or for loving my god, my family and my country."
AOC took to Twitter to voice her emphatic disapproval of Yoho words on Wednesday, tweeting the Republican “does not apologize or name any action he did, does not accept responsibility, lies (this was not a ‘conversation,’ it was verbal assault), says everyone else is wrong and the incident never happened.”
Critical Quotes:
"Out of nowhere, Yoho comes up to me and puts his finger in my face and flies off in a rage. He started going off about shootings and bread and nonsense, calling me crazy, shameful, out of my mind," said Ocasio-Cortez. "At first, I tried to talk to him, but that just made him yell over me more."
"It is true that we disagree on policies and visions for America, but that does not mean we should be disrespectful. Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I'm very cognizant of the language I use," Yoho said Wednesday.
“I will not teach my nieces and young people watching that this an apology, and what they should learn to accept. Yoho is refusing responsibility,” tweeted AOC on Wednesday.
Key Background:
Ocasio-Cortez, a frequent target of critics on the right, drew an intense backlash from pundits on conservative talk shows and Republican lawmakers over comments she made earlier this month linking poverty with rising crime in New York. While Ocasio Cortez confirmed the confrontation with Yoho on Twitter on Tuesday morning, a spokesman for Yoho denied the episode took place in the way it was reported and criticized Ocasio-Cortez for "using this exchange to gain personal attention."
Tangent:
Yoho was joined by Rep. Roger Williams, a Republican congressman from Texas, after the initial exchange with AOC. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday, "Gotta love Republican courage from Rep @RogerWilliamsTX: when he undeniably sees another man engaged in virulent harassment of a young woman, just pretend you never saw it in the most cartoonish manner possible and keep pushing."
Further Reading:
Report: Republican Congressman Calls AOC 'Disgusting' And Curses At Her On Capitol Steps (Forbes)
Rep. Ted Yoho: 'I can't apologize because I didn't say that' (News4Jax)
