McKinney apologizes for role in scuffle

WASHINGTON, April 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., apologized to a partially filled House chamber for her role in a scuffle with a Capitol Police officer last week.

"I am sorry this misunderstanding happened at all and I regret its escalation and I apologize," McKinney said Thursday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

To demonstrate what she called her "gratitude and appreciation" for Capitol police, McKinney said she would vote for a House GOP resolution praising police.

The resolution was intended to symbolically chastise McKinney for allegedly striking an officer who tried to stop her from going around a security checkpoint.

A federal prosecutor in Washington has turned the matter over to a grand jury to determine whether charges should be filed against McKinney. The charges could range from assault on a police officer, a felony, to simple assault, a misdemeanor. It is also possible no charges will be filed.