A Republican Vermont state lawmaker has apologized for repeatedly pouring water into a Democratic colleague’s purse after he caught her doing so on video via a $23 spy camera.
State Rep. Mary Morrissey publicly apologized to State Rep. Jim Carroll, her colleagues and the citizens of Vermont from the House of Representatives on Monday.
Both are from Bennington, a city of about 15,000 people in the southwestern corner of the state.
“I am truly embarrassed by my actions,” Morrissey said of “his disrespectful conduct” toward Carroll.
He said he had apologized directly to Carroll and would work toward a “resolution and restoration throughout the entire legislative process.”
A Republican Vermont state lawmaker has apologized for repeatedly pouring water into a Democratic colleague’s purse after he caught her doing so on video.
State Rep. Mary Morrissey publicly apologized to State Rep. Jim Carroll, her colleagues and the citizens of Vermont from the House of Representatives on Monday.
In response, Carroll told the camera that he heard the sincerity in his voice, but he had to be blunt, saying, “For five months I went through this,” and Morrissey had a choice every time.
“It was torment,” he said.
Carroll said the tote bag hanging in a Capitol hallway became soaked a couple of times a week in January and February.
Then, after he was charged with driving under the influence in February and returned from rehab, his bag was soaked almost daily, he said.
“He was relentless,” Carroll said, adding that he was pretty sure it was Morrissey, who he said often abused him.
He set up a video camera he bought for $23 behind a scarf on the opposite wall and captured Morrissey pouring water from a glass into the bag on April 23 and 26.
Carroll then showed the images to House Speaker Jill Krowinski, who confronted Morrissey with them.
“This is a truly disturbing situation that is at odds with our legislative practices,” Krowinski, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Carroll told the camera that he heard the sincerity in his voice, but he had to be blunt, saying, “For five months I went through this,” and Morrissey had a choice each time.
Carroll set up a video camera behind a scarf on the opposite wall and captured Morrissey pouring water from a glass into the bag on April 23 and 26.
He added that ‘the integrity and decorum of our legislative procedures and legislators are of paramount importance, and any action or behavior that compromises these values will be thoroughly investigated and addressed.’
Morrissey has not said why he did so and did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Carroll told fellow lawmakers Monday that the first time he and Morrissey sit down to talk will be awkward, “but we have to start somewhere.”