Salon.com > Bob Etheridge, D-N.C.

Bob Etheridge responds to YouTube video

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:50:00 +0000

(updated below
)

Rep. Bob Etheridge just released the following statement through his office about the YouTube video that went viral earlier this morning:

“I have seen the video posted on several blogs. I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction and I apologize to all involved. Throughout my many years of service to the people of North Carolina, I have always tried to treat people from all viewpoints with respect. No matter how intrusive and partisan our politics can become, this does not justify a poor response. I have and I will always work to promote a civil public discourse.”

Update: Etheridge just held a news conference in North Carolina. He said he would apologize to the two young men personally, but he doesn't know who they are. When asked if he felt physically threatened, he said, "I've been spat at, pushed on and threatened before and that's no excuse for my actions."

Rep. Bob Etheridge should be arrested for assault

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:15:00 +0000

(updated below - Update II - Update III)

Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-NC) was walking on a public sidewalk last week when he was politely asked a question by someone holding a camera, and this is what happened:

Bob Etheridge’s Bob Knight moment

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:20:00 +0000

Two people attempted to interview North Carolina Rep. Bob Etheridge outside a Nancy Pelosi fundraiser last week. But the interview went awry when Etheridge, who is up for reelection this year, got physical while aggressively questioning them.

The video went unnoticed over the weekend until Mike Flynn, a conservative who blogs for Andrew Breitbart's Big Government site, posted and commented on it. For now, not much is known about the cameramen and their motives. And because this is an edited YouTube video, we also don't know if there is more to the incident than we're seeing.