Politics

Pennsylvania Dem Candidate Drops An F-Bomb In The Synagogue, Talks About Civility

YouTube screenshot/Scott Wallace for Congress and Shutterstock image via user William Cushman

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Evie Fordham Politics and Health Care Reporter
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Democratic Pennsylvania congressional candidate Scott Wallace apologized Monday for using an expletive during a debate with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick at a synagogue in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, Sunday.

Fitzpatrick said he was “cross examining” Wallace on an attack ad on the Republican when Wallace “came out with this expletive,” reported WBCB.

Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick appears on Fox News. YouTube screenshot/Fox News

Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick appears on Fox News. YouTube screenshot/Fox News

“Ironically, there was a later question about the need for civility in politics,” Fitzpatrick told WBCB. “Well, a good start is to not use vulgarities in the sanctuary of a synagogue in the middle of a congressional debate.”

The candidates were standing on a platform called a bimah, where the Torah is read from during services, when Wallace said an “f-bomb,” reported WBCB. (RELATED: The Democrats’ Blue Wave Could Be Breaking As Republicans Surge)

“I was exasperated by yet another attempt from Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick to hide from his votes to take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions,” Wallace said in a statement Monday according to WBCB. “I apologize for any offense that might have been taken, I am passionate about protecting people from insurance company abuses, and I’m sorry that in this instance, my frustration got the best of me.”

The candidates were discussing an ad about Fitzpatrick run by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that The Washington Post Fact Checker gave “four Pinocchios” on Oct. 15. That’s a rating reserved for “whoppers,” according to the Fact Checker website.

Democrat Scott Wallace is running for Congress in Pennsylvania. YouTube screenshot/Scott Wallace for Congress

Democrat Scott Wallace is running for Congress in Pennsylvania. YouTube screenshot/Scott Wallace for Congress

“If you have a preexisting condition, Brian Fitzpatrick sold you out. … He voted against protecting people with preexisting conditions three separate times,” the debunked ad claimed.

“My sense is he was frustrated because I was cross examining him on the ad he’s running, which is a false ad based on my position on pre-existing conditions,” Fitzpatrick told WBCB. “I was asking him a series of questions on what bill he was referring to, had he read it, and he came out with this expletive.”

The ad misled viewers by attacking Fitzpatrick for a “no” vote on “minor procedural” matters that did not actually set up preexisting condition coverage protection. Fitzpatrick voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act in 2017, according to Fact Checker.

Fitzpatrick and Wallace’s area went to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential elections, but they are neck-and-neck in a race rated as a toss-up by RealClearPolitics. Fitzpatrick currently represents Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District but is running in the 1st Congressional District after lines were redrawn in February.

Fitzpatrick and Wallace will debate again at the Bucks County Community College campus in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, Thursday, reported WBCB.

The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to Fitzpatrick and Wallace but did not receive immediate responses.

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