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.
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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