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Beatty said in a tweet that she asked Rogers to put on a mask
before boarding a train that takes congressional members to the
House of Representatives chamber on Capitol Hill in the U.S.
capital.
Rogers then poked her back and directed her to board the train,
Beatty said. She then asked the long-time congressman not to
touch her, to which he replied, "Kiss my ass."
"This is the kind of disrespect we have been fighting for years,
and indicative of the larger issue we have with GOP Members
flaunting health and safety mandates designed to keep us and our
staff safe," the tweet read.
"[W]hen you are ready to grow up and apologize for your
behavior, you know where to find me," she added.
Rogers later issued a statement saying that he met with Beatty
to apologize for the comment.
"This afternoon, I met with Congresswoman Beatty to personally
apologize," he said. "My words were not acceptable and I
expressed my regret to her, first and foremost."
Masks have become a flashpoint of contention between the two
parties, with many Republicans and their staffers refusing to
wear them as the COVID pandemic has ground on. Georgia
representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Clyde have
racked up over $100,000 in fines, taken directly from their
congressional salaries, for not wearing masks on the House
floor.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by David Gregorio)
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