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California gubernatorial candidate and former Democratic lawmaker Katie Porter admitted she “could have handled things better” following the emergence of viral videos capturing her outbursts at a reporter and staffer.
In one of the videos, Porter got upset with a reporter and almost cut an interview short. In an older video that Politico says is from 2021, the politician yelled at a staffer to “Get the fuck out of my ass!” after the person entered the video frame behind Porter.
“When I watch these videos, I want people to know that I understand that I could have handled things better,” Porter said on Inside California Politics. “I think I’m known as someone who is able to answer tough questions, who is willing to answer questions, and I want people to know that I really appreciate the incredible work that my staff can do.”
“I think people who know me know that I can be tough, but I need to do a better job of expressing appreciation for the incredible work my team does,” she added.
KATIE PORTER INTERVIEW GOES VIRAL AS JOURNALISTS MARGE AT DEMOCRAT’S COLLAPSE
Then-Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., is seen May 28, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Demand Justice)
The clip of Porter threatening to quit CBS California’s Julie Watts show during an interview went viral last week.
Porter answered Watts’ questions, became visibly impatient with her follow-ups and even attempted to leave at one point out of frustration, calling the interviewer “argumentative.” After being pressed, Porter told Watts that she doesn’t “want to have an unhappy experience” with her and that she doesn’t “want any of this to be caught on camera.”
“I want to make sure that people understand why I’m in this race and why I’m fighting. I think as I travel across the state, what I hear from people is that they understand that we are in a very extraordinary moment,” Porter said this week on Inside California Politics. “What’s happening with Donald Trump attacking our economy and our society, our long-standing affordability issues, people know they’re going to need someone who’s going to be strong, who’s going to be tough, who’s going to be a fighter and who’s going to push.”
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Representative Katie Porter, Democrat of California, speaks during the Supreme Court’s “Just Majority” press conference June 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Just Majority)
“I think if people are looking for someone who is going to sit quietly in Sacramento and rubber-stamp things, that’s not me. But I absolutely could have handled things better,” she also said.
In the other clip, then-Rep. Porter, Democrat of California, spoke remotely with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about energy and climate issues. At one point, a staff member walks into frame, prompting Porter to yell, “Get out of my fucking shot!”
She also reprimanded the staff member for appearing in the background previously.
“You were in my shooting range before this,” Porter said. “Stay out of my shot.”
Porter revealed this week that she had apologized to that staff member.
Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a working meeting of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in Washington on January 31, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“I expressed that I was sorry, that I had lost my temper, that I had been frustrated in the moment, and I told her that I was grateful that she took the time to correct me,” she said. “We were able to redo the plan, I understood the facts clearly.”
Alex Nitzberg, Alexander Hall, David Rutz and Greg Wehner of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
