A Republican Congressman called his colleagues “eye candy” in a public statement and—shocker—the remark didn’t go over very well. Teen Vogue reports that North Carolina Rep. Mark Walker, the chair of the Republican Study Committee, was making a statement outside the Capitol on Tuesday when the controversial moment occurred.
“We must become more vocal and visible,” Walker said. “The accomplished men and women of the RSC, and women—if it wasn’t sexist, I would say the RSC ‘eye candy;’ we’ll leave that out of the record—are not attention-seekers.”
Perhaps Walker’s comment would be a little less awful if the RSC didn’t consist of only 16 women among 160 members. CNN says that the remark slipped during Walker’s “3 Promises, 3 Months” speech in which he discussed the RSC’s goals for the upcoming months. According to its website, the group aims to “bring like-minded House members together to promote a[n]…agenda that will limit government, strengthen our national defense, boost America’s economy, preserve traditional values and balance our budget.”
Walker apologized for his comments in a statement to CNN, saying, “I made a flippant remark meant to be light-hearted but fell short. I’m proud of the women who serve in our RSC leadership.”
Regardless of the apology, Walker didn’t escape from some criticism on Twitter for the remark.
You do not get brownie points for admitting your opinion is sexist before you go ahead and say it anyway. https://t.co/dXhFBmFxpK
— EMILY’s List (@emilyslist) September 26, 2017
This is a real thing that a Republican Congressman said today. Representation matters. Let’s elect more women. https://t.co/CQHt71mqAh
— Katherine Clark (@KatherineClark) September 26, 2017
Pro-tip for GOP: Starting with “if it weren’t sexist to say…” doesn’t make thing you say less sexist. https://t.co/O2IhEfHrCp
— ilyse hogue (@ilyseh) September 27, 2017
Walker, who’s currently in his second Congress term and first as the RSC chairman, is also a pastor. He may regret his words, but this is far from being an admirable leader in politics.