Tensions in Washington, D.C., boiled over on Tuesday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where Congressman Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) told Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “You are out of your freaking mind,” and reportedly said a moment later “f***ing b**ch” as he was walking away.
Soon after, the New York congresswoman addressed Yoho’s remarks on Twitter, saying that she had never spoken to Yoho before he “decided to accost” her on the Capitol steps.
She added, “Believe it or not, I usually get along fine with my GOP colleagues. We know how to check our legislative sparring at the committee door.”
The confrontation came after Ocasio-Cortez made remarks during a virtual town hall earlier this month, according to The Hill, where she said, “Crime is a problem of a diseased society, which neglects its marginalized people. Policing is not the solution to crime.”
I never spoke to Rep. Yoho before he decided to accost me on the steps of the nation’s Capitol yesterday.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 21, 2020
Believe it or not, I usually get along fine w/ my GOP colleagues. We know how to check our legislative sparring at the committee door.
But hey, “b*tches” get stuff done. ??♀️ https://t.co/WlG3xccwR7
On Wednesday morning, Yoho addressed his behavior in a short speech, reading from prepared remarks that he wanted to “address the strife” that he “injected into the already contentious Congress.”
The congressman continued, “I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York. 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 my language.”
But Yoho added, “The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were spoken to my colleagues and if they were construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding.”
He closed by saying, “I cannot apologize for my passion or for loving my God, my family and my country.”
Additionally, Yoho’s spokesman, Brian Kaveney, told ABC News on Tuesday, “He did not call Rep. Ocasio-Cortez what has been reported in the Hill or any name for that matter. … Instead, he made a brief comment to himself as he walked away summarizing what he believes her polices to be: bullsh**.”
“I cannot apologize for my passion” — @RepTedYoho’s “apology” to AOC pic.twitter.com/Bh30Phu8zp
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez quickly blasted Yoho’s delivered apology on Twitter, writing, “Republican responds to calling a colleague ‘disgusting’ [and] a ‘f—ing b*tch’ with ‘I cannot apologize for my passion’ and blaming others.”
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1285963001326178304?s=20
He didn’t even say my name.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 22, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez has spoken often about her role in a Congress that is the most diverse in history. When she first entered Capitol Hill, she tweeted, “People keep giving me directions to the spouse and intern events instead of the ones for members of Congress.”
