Republican Sen. Bob Corker is in hot water over using the term “midget” to negatively describe his colleagues in a Senate Banking Committee meeting Tuesday. Politico says the senator used the term after he became angry with other members of the committee, letting Congressional Budget Office scores dictate the debates.
“I’m sorry it just feels like a bunch of midgets up here worrying about some CBO issue,” he said during the committee meeting.
The use of the word has angered many in the little people community, including Little People of America President Gary Arnold.
“Today, no matter in what context it is used, the word dehumanizes and objectifies people of short stature,” Arnold told Politico.
Corker apologized for his comments on Thursday, saying he did not intend to offend anyone.
Accoring to Google, the legal height of a midget is 4’10” — a whopping 8.5″ shorter than the 5″6.5″ Corker.