GOP Congressman Who Wore Blackface Says He Wanted To 'Pay Homage' To Music Idol
HuffPost
Rep. Mike Lawler, who is running for reelection in a New York swing district, apologized after a picture showed him with a darkened face for a costume.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) has apologized after The New York Times obtained pictures that showed him in blackface for a Halloween costume while attending Manhattan College (now Manhattan University) in 2006.
Lawler, who is running for reelection against Black Democrat and former Rep. Mondaire Jones in a New York swing district, appears with a darkened face in a photograph that shows him wearing a “Thriller” music video-like red jacket as part of a Michael Jackson costume.
Lawler, in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday, said he can’t change what happened 18 years ago but he understands it’s not something he’d do today and why people would be offended by it.
“For that, I’m sorry, but for me, there was no ill intent. There was no effort to malign or make fun of or disparage Black Americans,” Lawler said.
“It was really an effort to pay homage to somebody who was a musical idol for me.”
New York University law school professor Ryan Goodman said the reported plan "smacks of political retribution."
Trump's former national security adviser said he wouldn't have Sebastian Gorka "in any U.S. government" role.
Charges under adultery laws have been rare and convictions even rarer, with some states moving to repeal such laws in recent years.
Police say Jeffrey Moynihan, Jr., 56, convinced the 74-year-old woman to wire money to bank accounts he controlled.
The union-friendly Oregon Republican just lost her reelection bid for the House earlier this month.
The dual announcements Friday evening showed how Trump was fleshing out the financial side of his new administration.
The former “View” co-host said she felt she couldn’t support Trump or Harris — and wrote in a surprising choice instead.
Across the country, the trans community is grappling with questions about what survival looks like after Trump’s victory.
"We cannot be mesmerized by the worst things that we see happening," the transportation secretary said.
The president-elect had been set for sentencing next week.
At least 20 House Democrats are demanding increased transparency over reports that Israel is not treating all U.S. citizens equally, as first reported by HuffPost.