Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), who was seen flipping off the Republican dugout at Thursday’s Congressional Baseball Game, clarified that it was a man in the stands, not a GOP lawmaker, whom she made the gesture toward.
Sanchez, who was roundly criticized after the incident, said in a statement Friday that she “heard an offensive and misogynistic comment from the Republican side” and reacted “in the heat of the moment.” While the California Democrat did not say where on the GOP side she heard the comment, she did not deny that it came from a lawmaker.
LINDA SANCHEZ REACTED ‘IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT’ WHEN FLIPPING OFF GOP DUGOUT
Speaking to NBC News’s Frank Thorp that same day, though, she said that she was not directing her ire at anyone in the dugout, but instead at an “obnoxious fan.”
“It wasn’t the team. It was an obnoxious fan who shouts misogynistic s*** at me every single year,” she said, adding that “it’s the same guy” every year.
Asked what specifically the man said, Sanchez demurred, saying: “I’m not going to dignify it with a response because it’s nasty and it’s crude, and it has no place at a charity baseball game.”
“If the Republican women would have stood up and said that’s not acceptable instead of, you know, trashing me for my response, then we might have a place where there’s no misogyny that’s tolerated by anybody anywhere,” she added of the criticism she faced.
Sanchez said in her original statement that “the Congressional Baseball Game is one of my favorite events of the year. It’s a great cause and brings both sides of the aisle together for a night off from partisan politics. That is why it really struck a nerve when I heard an offensive and misogynistic comment from the Republican side on my way back to the dugout. In the heat of the moment, I reacted.”
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“I have no tolerance for men who make women feel like they are unimportant or don’t belong — especially on the field,” she said. “I will always stand against that kind of bigotry.”
The Republicans won the game against the Democrats by a score of 10-0. It marked the second year in a row the Republicans won the Congressional Baseball Game, with 2021’s game ending in a score of 13-12.
