GOP Congressman faces backlash over 2006 blackface photos, claims it was ‘homage to Michael Jackson’ – Times of India
Republican representative Mike Lawler (Photo: AP) New York Congressman and Republican figure Mike Lawler is facing backlash after photographs surfaced showing him dressed in blackface at a Halloween party nearly two decades ago. The images, obtained by The New York Times, depict a 20-year-old Lawler, who is white, dressed as Michael Jackson with his face visibly darkened. The incident occurred in October 2006.Lawler, now 38, did not deny the authenticity of the images.In a statement, he showed regret but insisted that his costume was a tribute to his "musical hero," Michael Jackson, rather than an intentional act of racism. “The ugly practice of blackface was the furthest thing from my mind,” he said. “Let me be clear, this is not that. It was truly the sincerest form of flattery, a genuin...