Houston mayoral candidate Jackson Lee regretful after recording of her allegedly berating staffers

By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who is running to be Houston’s next mayor, is expressing regret and saying “everyone deserves to be treated with dignity” following the release of an unverified audio recording purported to be of the longtime Democratic lawmaker allegedly berating staff members with a barrage of expletives. In the recording, which was sent anonymously to multiple news organizations Friday, a woman who sounds like Jackson Lee is heard criticizing two staffers. In a statement Monday, Jackson Lee doesn’t directly admit it’s her on the recording. But she says she’s “not perfect.” The recording was released days before the start of early voting Monday in the Nov. 7 election.