GOP Rep. Jason Smith apologizes for telling Democrats to 'go back to Puerto Rico'

Rep. Tony Cárdenas said Thursday night he has accepted an apology from Rep. Jason Smith, who acknowledged he yelled, “Go back to Puerto Rico!” at Democrats during a tense situation on the House floor earlier in the day but denied his remark was racially motivated.

A Smith aide said the Missouri Republican intended the comment as a shot at House Democrats over their 30-member jaunt to Puerto Rico last weekend — an event that got heavy coverage in the conservative media — rather than an attack on a specific lawmaker. But in a week that saw the House overwhelmingly condemn Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King for racist remarks, tensions remain high. And House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on the floor that Democrats believed it was a slur aimed at Cárdenas.

Cárdenas, a California Democrat of Mexican heritage, said in a statement Thursday night that he was "shocked" to hear Smith's words as he waited to speak on the floor and "often heard those kinds of comments" when he was a kid growing up outside Los Angeles.

Cárdenas said Smith called him a few hours later and "sincerely apologized," agreeing that the two should get to know each other better when Congress returns next week.