[Editor’s note: In late March of last year, then-Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) was involved in a dispute with a Capitol police officer. Thursday, July 19th Representative Christopher Shays (R-CN) was involved in a dispute with a DC Capitol police officer. Shays is a white male Republican. McKinney is a black female Democrat. It is of interest to see how the police, the press and the American public handle these two apparently directly parallel incidents.]

By Jackie Kucinich

July 20, 2007

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) apologized Friday for an altercation with a Capitol Police officer Thursday afternoon in which the lawmaker repeatedly swore at an officer and touched his nametag to read it before storming away.

Shays said in a statement that his frustration with the officer initially stemmed from trying to find a family of constituents that was caught in the rain. He described the interaction with the officer as “inappropriate.”

(Original Article)