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In
this case, she entered a House office building without
passing through the metal detector that screens visitors.
Members of Congress are permitted to bypass the machines,
but she was not wearing the pin that identified her
as a House member at the time.
The
officer, whose name has not been made public, has said
he asked McKinney three times to stop. She did not.
Terrance
Gainer, outgoing chief of the Capitol police force,
has said that the officer placed a hand on her and she
responded by hitting him. He said McKinney's race was
not a factor.
The
incident has embarrassed Democrats, including fellow
members of the Congressional Black Caucus, none of whom
have publicly defended her behavior in the March 29
incident.
Rep.
Mel Watt, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus,
has had no statement on the incident. The caucus' silence
stands in stark contrast to it's investigations of past
scuffles between the U.S. Capitol Police and members.
One
such probe occurred in 1990, when the caucus investigated
whether Rep. Mickey Edwards, R-Okla. poked a black female
Capitol Police officer and shouted curses at her, after
she had denied entrance to an Edwards staffer who did
not have House identification card with her.
A
year later, the CBC investigated an incident in which
a Capitol Police officer allegedly denied Rep. Louis
Stokes, D-Ohio, entrance to the garage of the Rayburn
House Office Building because the officer did not believe
Stokes was a member.
McKinney's
apology came after an eventful day in which two witnesses
to the incident were subpoenaed by the grand jury and
Gainer for the first time pubicly defended the officer
involved. It was not clear which, if any, of her colleagues
had urged McKinney to make the statement she did.
Republicans
initially responded by advancing legislation to commend
the Capitol police for their professionalism. Several
GOP lawmakers sported pins expressing their support
for the police.
It
was unclear how much legal jeopardy McKinney confronted.
A grand jury has subpoenaed two congressional aides
who witnessed the confrontation.
Lisa
Subrize, executive assistant to Rep. Thaddeus McCotter,
R-Mich., and Troy Phillips, senior legislative assistant
to Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., notified Speaker Dennis
Hastert late Wednesday, as is customary under House
procedure.
"After
consultation with the Office of General Counsel, I have
determined that compliance with the subpoena is consistent
with the precedents and privileges of the House,"
both aides said in statements that a clerk read into
the House record.
Bob
Jackson, a spokesman for McCotter, said that Subrize
witnessed the confrontation and immediately filled out
a form for the Capitol Police, describing what she saw.
He
and a spokeswoman for Farr declined further comment.
Former
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who on Tuesday abandoned
his re-election bid under a cloud of ethics charges,
weighed in on Wednesday, saying McKinney "is a
racist."
"She
has a long history of racism," DeLay, R-Texas,
said on Fox News Channel. "Everything is racism
with her. This is incredible arrogance that sometimes
hits these members of Congress, but especially Cynthia
McKinney."
On
Wednesday, McKinney had charged anew that racism is
behind what she said is a pattern of difficulty in clearing
Hill security checkpoints, arguing that officers assigned
to protect Congress members should recognize her, even
without her congressional pin.
"This
has become much ado about hairdo," she said Wednesday
on CBS' "The Early Show." McKinney recently
dropped her trademark cornrows in favor loose curls.
The
incident in a House office building has caused a commotion
on Capitol Hill, where security in the era of terrorist
threat is tighter than ever and where authorities had
to order an evacuation just Monday because of a power
outage. Capitol Police have turned the McKinney case
over to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Wainstein.
___
Associated
Press writers Dave Espo and Laurie Kellman contributed
to this report.
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