A Democratic congressman apologized Sunday to Kellyanne Conway for his '90s-flavored quip that she "looked kind of familiar" kneeling on Oval Office upholstery.
"After a discussion with people I know and trust I understand the way my remarks have been received by many," Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) said in a statement.
Richmond's crude remark came during the Washington Press Club Foundation dinner on Wednesday, just after Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joked "a whole lot worse things" had happened on that couch in the 1990s than the White House counselor's lax posture during a meeting with leaders of historically black institutions.
"Tim, you kind of opened the door ... and you even mentioned Kellyanne and the picture on the sofa," Richmond said at the fund-raising dinner.
Many interpreted the convoluted crack as an allusion to former President Bill Clinton's liaisons with Monica Lewinsky — but Richmond last week denied any sexual connotation, maintaining he'd been misunderstood during a "night of levity."
"Where I grew up saying that someone is looking or acting 'familiar' simply means that they are behaving too comfortably," he told the Daily News in a statement. "I decided to use that joke due to the large social media backlash over her inappropriate posture considering there were more than 60 HBCU Presidents in the room."
Richmond's deflection earned widespread rebuke from across the political spectrum, including from CNN anchor Jake Tapper, GOP chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, Chelsea Clinton and Conway herself.
"The boors are starting to bore me," the top Trump aide tweeted Thursday. "So-called sisterhood alarmingly silent."
"Thank you, @ChelseaClinton," Conway added on Friday after the former First Daughter deemed Richmond's joke "despicable." "As strong women, as moms to Charlottes...appreciate you speaking out on this."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, sidestepped addressing the controversy during a Sunday interview with Tapper — claiming she was "just finding out about this."
"You all are criticizing Cedric for something he said in the course of the evening, and he maybe should be criticized for that; I just don't know the particulars," she said.
"But I do, every day, marvel at the fact that somebody who said the gross and crude things that President Trump said — he wouldn't even be allowed in a frat house, and he's in the White House."
Conway as of Monday morning had yet to respond to Richmond's apology.