A Republican politician in Vermont who dumped water into a Democratic colleague’s bag for months apologized Monday for her actions.
Rep. Mary Morrissey, 67, stood before the Vermont House of Representatives and delivered a public mea culpa to Rep. Jim Carroll.
“I am truly ashamed of my actions,” she told the legislators.
For five months, Morrissey routinely dumped water into Carroll’s tote bag while it hung on a wall in the Vermont State House.
Carroll, 62, said his bag started getting soaked on occasional days in January and February, Vermont newspaper Seven Days reported. The frequency increased after he was arrested in February for driving under the influence, according to Carroll.
With his bag getting soaked nearly every day, Carroll set up a spy camera on the opposite wall to see what was happening. He captured Morrissey dumping water into the bag on April 23 and April 26.
Carroll reported Morrissey’s actions to the legislative ethics commission and showed the video to House Speaker Jill Krowinski, a fellow Democrat, who confronted Morrissey.
“This is a truly disturbing situation that is at odds with our legislative practices,” Krowinski said in a statement.
Morrissey struggled to explain herself, telling Vermont CBS affiliate WCAX: “Quite honestly, I don’t know why I did it. I was not meaning to hurt Jim, it was something very out of character for me and I’m ashamed of myself.”
However, Carroll said Morrissey had made it clear she disliked him. Both represent the 9,000-person town of Bennington.
Carroll said he heard sincerity in Morrissey’s apology on Monday but noted that she still made the choice day after day to make his life worse.
“For five months, I went through this,” he said. “It was torment.”
With News Wire Services
