U.S. Congressman Mark Walker has apologized after referring to his female colleagues as “eye candy” during a Washington press conference Tuesday.
The Republican Study Committee (RSC) chair made the comment while praising the group’s members, and laying out its future plans.
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“The accomplished men and women of the RSC. And women. If it wasn’t sexist, I would say the RSC eye candy, but we’ll leave that out of the record,” Walker said.
Several men standing behind the lawmaker laughed at the apparent joke.
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The remark prompted backlash online from Twitter users, and was also the subject of a column published by CNN.
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The opinion piece, written by public relations professor Kara Alaimo, outlined why the remark was not a laughing matter.
“Walker may believe his female colleagues are beautiful, but his own remark was nothing short of ugly,” Alaimo wrote.
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The professor added that as a prominent member of the GOP, Walker has set a poor example for others.
Amid the criticism, Walker apologized in a statement to the news network.
“During a press event today, I made a flippant remark meant to be light-hearted but fell short,” he said. “I’m proud of the women who serve in our RSC leadership.”
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