Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), a new member of Congress, says he wants to apologize for the way he treated Indian women at a meeting where he disparaged tribal courts and questioned the constitutionality of S.47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013.

Cramer voted for VAWA. But he told a group of Indian women advocates that provisions to recognize tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians were likely to be struck down in court.

“Tribal governments are dysfunctional. Tribal courts are dysfunctional, and how could a non-native man get a fair trial on the reservations?” Cramer reportedly said at the meeting, according to Melissa Merrick, a member of the Spirit Lake Nation and an advocate for domestic violence victims, who posted a lengthy account on Last Real Indians.

Cramer disputed some of the statements that were attributed to him. But he acknowledged that he acted in a confrontational manner with the women.

“I engaged in a discussion, or maybe I should say debate, that was probably more like a debate we’d have in Congress than with a group of people dedicated to helping women and children. I want to apologize to her for that," Cramer told The Grand Forks Herald.

In her account, Merrick said other women in the meeting became visibly upset by Cramer's tone. Before he left the room, he "grabbed" one woman, hugged her and told her: "I love you," she wrote on Last Real Indians.

Get the Story:
Rep. Cramer disputes account of 'tirade' during meeting with American Indians, but apologizes for tone (The Grand Forks Herald 3/29)

Related Stories:
Melissa Merrick: Rep. Cramer of North Dakota attacks women (3/28)