Not that it has one thing to do with whether the President is a liar or not, but just to keep the record straight on the McKinney matter, her 'apology' and the statement on her website came only after her Democratic colleagues in the House soundly disapproved what she was doing and saying:
Posted on Fri, Apr. 07, 2006
McKinney offers public apology
By Laurie Kellman
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - With a grand jury investigating and little support from House colleagues, Rep. Cynthia McKinney reversed course and apologized yesterday for an altercation in which she entered a Capitol building unrecognized, refused to stop when asked by a police officer, and then hit him.
"There should not have been any physical contact in this incident. I have always supported law enforcement," McKinney (D., Ga.), said during a brief appearance on the House floor. "...I am sorry that this misunderstanding happened at all and I regret its escalation, and I apologize."
A grand jury was investigating whether to seek assault or other charges. It was unclear what effect McKinney's apology might have.
Her remarks came as two House aides who witnessed the March 29 scuffle prepared to answer subpoenas from the grand jury, convened by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Wainstein. A day earlier, McKinney was shunned on the House floor by several colleagues, while Democratic leaders openly rejected her explanation that she acted in self-defense when she hit the officer.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus urged McKinney in a private meeting Wednesday night to find a way to put the matter to rest, according to a person familiar with the session. No caucus member has publicly defended her behavior.
What McKinney called a "misunderstanding" yesterday she had labeled "racial profiling" and "inappropriate touching" a day earlier. For nearly a week, she and her lawyers insisted she had been assaulted and had done nothing wrong. She is black; the officer is white.
McKinney, 51, has a history of confrontations with officers.
In this case, she entered a House office building without passing through the metal detector that screens visitors. Members of Congress may bypass the machines, but she was not wearing the pin that identified her as a House member.
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, has said the officer placed a hand on her and she responded by hitting him. He said McKinney's race was not a factor.
Even as McKinney tried to put the incident behind her, a new scuffle occurred yesterday outside the Capitol between a man apparently protecting her and a reporter who asked the congresswoman whether she had spoken to the grand jury.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/nation/14282893.htm
