Congress rejecting McKinney's victim ploy

NY Times:

The case of Representative Cynthia A. McKinney, the Georgia Democrat who attributed a recent altercation with the Capitol Police to racial profiling, prompted a new round of political maneuvering on Tuesday as Democrats tried to distance themselves from the congresswoman and some Republicans pressed for a resolution praising the police.

"I don't think any of it justifies hitting a police officer," the House Democratic leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California said, in response to a question about Ms. McKinney. "I don't know if that happened, but I am saying if it did happen, it wasn't justified."

Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic whip, told reporters that members "should all cooperate fully" with the police, adding, "It doesn't appear that happened."

The Democrats made their remarks as federal prosecutors weighed whether to charge Ms. McKinney in connection with the episode, which occurred last week as she tried to circumvent a metal detector to enter the Capitol, which members of Congress are allowed to do. A Capitol Police officer failed to recognize her, and she apparently responded in a physical manner.

At a news conference Friday, Ms. McKinney said she regretted the episode but had acted in self-defense in response to "the inappropriate touching and stopping of me, a female black congresswoman." On Tuesday, her spokesman did not respond to a telephone call or e-mail message seeking comment.

Republicans have tried to make political hay of the episode, saying it did not comport with the Democrats' efforts to portray themselves as committed to national security. Representative Patrick T. McHenry, Republican of North Carolina, said Tuesday that he would introduce a resolution commending the police for their professionalism.

...

"I want to give them a pat on the back," he said of the officers, "not a punch in the chest."

McKinney and her lawyer continue to act in a sleazy manner, using her race and sex as a sword to defend the indefensible. What McKinney is saying is that because she is black and female, the rules do not apply to her. That is not what Martin Luther King had in mind.