Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) apologized on the House floor Wednesday morning following media reports that he called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) a “fucking bitch” after a heated confrontation on the Capitol steps. The lawmaker insisted “the offensive name calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues,” but said “if they were construed that way I apologize for their misunderstanding.” Yoho’s vulgar comment was overheard by a reporter, who said it came after he attacked the socialist firebrand for her recent statements on the link between crime in New York City and poverty. “I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York,” the lawmaker said Wednesday, before stating that he “cannot apologize for my passion, or for loving my god, my family, and my country.”