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McKinney tiff spurs support for police

WASHINGTON - House Republicans, reacting to the confrontation last week between Rep. Cynthia McKinney and a Capitol Police officer she is accused of hitting, pressed for a resolution Tuesday to commend the police force for its professionalism.

No Democratic leaders were willing to defend McKinney or her charge of racial profiling.

"I don't think any of it justifies hitting a police officer," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said all lawmakers, staffers and visitors have a responsibility to obey Capitol Police officers.

A federal prosecutor on Tuesday was still weighing whether to press charges against McKinney.

"When I'm not wearing my pin, I am always stopped," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a sponsor of the measure. "I accept that as a due course of security."

McKinney is accused of striking a uniformed police officer who did not recognize her and asked her to stop on her way into a House office building.

McKinney, a Georgia Democrat, and her lawyers say a series of confrontations between McKinney and U.S. Capitol officers points to a pattern.

"The issue is racial profiling," McKinney, who is black, said Monday on CNN.

The resolution being introduced Tuesday, co-sponsored by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., did not specifically mention McKinney, McHenry said.

Instead, sponsors said, it would commend the Capitol Police for their professionalism and recognize the challenge of protecting the vast Capitol campus from terrorism and other threats while keeping it open to tourists.

[Last modified April 5, 2006, 00:38:13]