Representative Barbara Lee has claimed “a white guy” tried to stop her from using a Capitol elevator reserved for Congressmen, accusing her of having stolen a pin identifying her as a lawmaker.
“I was walking from the House building on Capitol Hill to the Capitol, and a man, a white guy, stopped me and told me I could not get into the Members’ elevator,” Rep. Lee told CNN.
“You know, we have pins, and I was going to vote, and he blocked me from getting into the elevator. He told me I was not a Member of Congress, and it was for Members only,” the 77-year-old continued.
“I said, ‘Sir, I’m a member of Congress,’ and I showed him my pin, and he said: ‘Whose pin did you steal?'”
The California Democrat, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, said the alleged incident was an example of “personal racism.” In 2019, actor Jussie Smollett claimed he had been involved in a similar incident in Chicago, involving two attackers shouting “this MAGA country, n****r!” and hanging a noose around his neck.
It later turned out Smollett had staged the attack with the help of two Nigerian migrants, however.
Rep. Barbara Lee: “I was walking to the Capitol and a man stopped me, a white guy, and told me I could not get into the members’ elevator…He told me it was for members only. I said, 'Sir, I’m a member of Congress' and showed him my pin. And he said, 'Whose pin did you steal?'" pic.twitter.com/RGhOpfTMjM
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 19, 2024
“Racism, institutional racism, is in the DNA of this country,” Lee went on to claim, citing “the genocide of Native Americans” and “250 years plus of enslaving African-Americans” alongside “disparities” like “the wealth gap.”
“You can’t tell me that systemic racism does not exist,” she said, complaining about conservative efforts “in terms of eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” which she claimed creates “an equal and level playing field.”
Rep. Lee’s colleague, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, recently suggested leveling the playing field for black Americans by printing $14 trillion and distributing it to them as reparations.
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