Sen. Schumer Overheard Calling Flight Attendant B-Word
By STEPHANIE BARISH wpix.com

4:36 p.m. EST, December 16, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WPIX)—
Sen. Chuck Schumer reportedly had a few choice words for a flight attendant who told him to turn off his cell phone during a recent flight.

The incident occurred Sunday when Schumer, seated next to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, was on his way from Washington D.C. to New York.

According to a Republican aide, New York's senior senator was overheard calling a flight attendant a "bitch" following an argument in which he stated he should not have to follow Federal Aviation rules.

Both Schumer and Gillibrand were reportedly talking on their phones when the captain advised people to shut them off, as required under FAA rules. The two senators reportedly ignored the announcement and kept talking, which prompted the flight attendant to ask them to comply with the rules.

The flight attendant then proceeded to deny Schumer's request to continue his phone conversation and told him the entire plane was waiting for him to end his call.

Schumer reluctantly ended his conversation and then fired back at the flight attendant, claiming that he was entitled to continue chatting until the cabin door was closed.

"He argued with her about the rule," the Republican aide told Politico.com. "She said she doesn't make the rules, she just follows them."

When the flight attendant walked away, Schumer reportedly looked over at his seatmate, Sen. Gillibrand, and called the flight attendant a "bitch." Moments later when Schumer's phone rang again, the New York senator was caught saying, "It's Harry Reid calling. I guess health care will have to wait until we land."

Schumer's office later admitted that he did in fact make an inappropriate comment. His aide released a statement reading, "the senator made an off-the-cuff comment under his breath after the flight attendant walked away. He shouldn't have made it, he regrets it and he has apologized for it."