Lawmaker's apology rings hollow to some
Despite some calls for State Senator Steve Halloran's resignation, there is no indication the Hastings lawmaker is going anywhere.
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State Sen. Steve Halloran, Hastings (R): “Should I have interjected the senators names, no. Sometimes we do things on the floor in the midst of making a statement that we shouldn't have done, so again I apologize to Senator Michaela Cavanaugh.”
That was Senator Halloran in the light of day. This was senator Halloran Monday night.
”Stop staring at me he said”, Halloran reading sexually graphic excerpts from a book about rape.
While blasting the book’s apparent availability in Nebraska school libraries he inserted the name of another lawmaker, a Democrat.
“I kneeled before him, Sen. Cavanaugh.”
Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh tweeting that Halloran’s word were “gross, disrespectful, and beneath the Nebraska Unicameral.”
And here she is after Halloran’s apology.
Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, Omaha (D): “It's clearly not something we should tolerate.”
Republican State Sen. Julie Slama not buying Republican Halloran’s, ‘I’m sorry.’
State Sen. Julie Slama (R): “This place is special because it's the one place in the state of Nebraska where you can get up and talk about a colleague being raped and not have any professional consequences. Sen. Halloran, you should be ashamed of yourself for being incapable of apologizing. There is no justification for your actions, and you should resign.”
Following his controversial comments Halloran said he was actually addressing Michaela Cavanaugh’s brother and lawyers, another lawmaker, Sen. John Cavanaugh.
State Sen. John Cavanaugh, Omaha (D): “Sen. Halloran, I will stand up and fight for your right to exercise your freedom of speech even when it is offensive to me and my friends and family.
State Sen. Carol Blood, Bellevue (D): “What was said literally reinforced what abusers have always said. That it's the victims fault.”
All that said no indication Halloran is resigning.
