Lawmaker apologizes for face mask that looks like Confederate flag

A Michigan state senator has apologized for showing up to the state Capitol wearing a face mask that appeared to depict the Confederate flag.

“I’m sorry for my choice of pattern on the face mask I wore yesterday on the Senate floor. I did not intend to offend anyone; however, I realize that I did, and for that I am sorry,” Republican Senator Dale Zorn tweeted Saturday morning, adding that he doesn’t support “the things this pattern represents.”

WLNS-TV in Lansing, Michigan first reported that Zorn wore a red mask with blue stripes and white stars on the state Senate floor on Friday.

During a senate vote at the capitol it was brought to our attention that one State Senator was wearing a mask that appeared to have the confederate flag on it. State Senator Dale Zorn was wearing the mask and shared his response with 6 News. https://t.co/JfI9v58yQS

— WLNS Newsroom (@WLNS) April 24, 2020

He initially told the local news station that the face covering, made by his wife, didn’t depict the Confederate flag, and was more similar to the Kentucky or Tennessee flag.

“I told my wife it probably will raise some eyebrows, but it was not a Confederate flag,” Zorn said.

He also said that “even if it was a Confederate flag, you know, we should be talking about teaching our national history in schools, and that’s part of our national history.”

“It’s something we can’t just throw away because it is part of our history. And if we want to make sure that the atrocities that happened during that time doesn’t happen again, we should be teaching it. Our kids should know what that flag stands for,”Zorn told WLNS-TV on Friday.

On Saturday, Zorn deemed his actions “an error in judgment for which there are no excuses.”

“I will learn from this episode,” he tweeted.