House lawmaker apologizes for using vulgarity when asked to mask up

Rep. Joyce Beatty asked Rep. Hal Rogers to apologize after, she said, he used profanity on Tuesday when he refused to put on a mask when she asked him to on Capitol Hill.

Republican Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, the second-most senior lawmaker in the House, told ABC News he has apologized to Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, after she said he refused to put on his mask Tuesday when she asked him to and, instead, poked her and told her to "kiss my ass."

"This afternoon, I met with Congresswoman Beatty to personally apologize. My words were not acceptable and I expressed my regret to her, first and foremost," Rogers said in a statement.

Beatty, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, tweeted a thread about their exchange Tuesday afternoon that got more than 10,000 likes and 5,000 retweets in less than an hour from its posting.

"Today, while heading to the House floor for votes, I respectfully asked my colleague @RepHalRogers to put on a mask while boarding the train. He then poked my back, demanding I get on the train. When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, 'kiss my ass,'" the Ohio lawmaker tweeted.