HOUSTON — Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who is currently running to become the next mayor of Houston, was allegedly heard in an audio recording leaked over the weekend using profanity as she berated one of her staffers.
In the leaked audio, a woman believed to be Jackson Lee, can be heard using profane words more than a dozen times within just over 1 ½ minutes.
“When I call Jerome, he’s going to be sitting up there like a fat a**. Stupid idiot talking about what the f*** he doesn’t know. Both of y’all are f*** ups,” the woman says in part of the leaked audio recording.
Jackson Lee, who is endorsed for mayor by former presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has been in Congress for nearly 30 years.
Jackson Lee’s congressional office has been known for having a high turnover; for years the congresswoman has been accused of being difficult to work with.
On Monday, Jackson Lee responded to the leaked recording by releasing a statement, which said in part:
“I want to convey to the people of Houston that I strongly believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and that includes my own staff. I know that I am not perfect. I recognize that in my zeal to do everything possible to deliver for my constituents I have in the past fallen short of my own standards and there is no excuse for that. I am passionate about serving my constituents. I want the best for all of them.”
In the full statement, Jackson Lee does not admit it was her voice heard in the leaked recording.
It is also unclear when exactly the audio recording was made. The recording was released just days before early voting for the mayoral election started.
BLK News Now! has not independently verified Jackson Lee is the woman heard in the recording.
The Houston mayoral election will be held on Nov. 7.
Corey Arvin is Editor of BLK News Now! His journalism experience includes Television, Newspapers, and Digital Media as a Writer, Reporter, Content Producer, and Digital Producer. Some of those media outlets include CBS Phoenix (KPHO), NBC4 Los Angeles, ABC7 Los Angeles, California Black Media, SCNG, and more. He can be reached at Corey@BLKNewsNow.com.