MAGA lawmaker Mike Lawler has been forced to apologize after a photo emerged of him wearing blackface at a Halloween college party.
The photo of the 38-year-old rising House star, published by The New YorkTimes, shows Lawler dressed as Michael Jackson at a party at Manhattan College in October 2006.
In the image, Lawler, who is in a close-run race to hold onto his seat, is sporting a red leather Thriller jacket and striking one of Jackson’s signature poses. His face has been visibly darkened.
The image was one of several shared on Facebook at the time, with old classmates vouching for its authenticity, the Times reported.
The Independent has reached out to Lawler’s spokesperson for comment.
Lawler admitted to the Times that he had used bronzer to visibly darken his face, but claimed that “the ugly practice of blackface was the furthest thing from my mind.”
“Let me be clear, this is not that,” he continued. “I am a student of history and for anyone who takes offense to the photo, I am sorry. All you can do is live and learn.”
Lawler later told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday his outfit was meant to pay “homage” to his musical hero Jackson.
“There was no ill intent, no effort to malign, make fun of or disparage Black Americans. It was really an effort to pay homage to someone who is a musical idol for me,” he said.
“I’ve always loved Michael Jackson’s music and his dance moves and his ability to entertain. This was really not what could truly be construed as blackface. But I certainly understand why people would be offended by it and I’m sorry.”
As a high school senior in New York in 2005, Lawler flew to California to attend parts of Jackson’s criminal trial on charges of molesting a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch, according to the Times. The case ended in acquittal.
Lawler was allegedly removed from the courtroom after being “so disgusted” he muttered “something derogatory under his breath”, according to Jackson biographer J Randy Taraborrelli’s book, Michael Jackson: The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story.
The congressman, who previously defeated former Democratic congressional campaign committee leader Sean Maloney to win the House seat in November 2022, is currently engaged in a head-to-head race with former Rep Mondaire Jones for the lower Hudson Valley’s battleground 17th District.
Lawler has a 3.1 percent lead over Jones, according to a recent poll from The Hill.
