Sheila Jackson-Lee (D) Defends Her Phone Call

Sheila Jackson-Lee (D) has offered an explanation for talking on her cellphone while a constituent was asking her a question at a town hall meeting (Berman Post: Sheila Jackson-Lee (D) Answers Phone Call While Constituent is Speaking to Her). She said she was just calling to get information to provide a better answer to the question.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/13/democrat-defends-cell-phone-use-during-town-hall

""I dialed the hotline number to get a better answer."

"It was not disrespectful because I was seeking information for the very town hall I was in," she said. "No offense was intended."

But Jackson Lee would not elaborate when pressed on whether she believes the YouTube video of her talking on the cell phone had been manipulated.

"I know nothing about the video and I'm not going to comment on it," she said. "All I'm going to say to you is, 'I enjoyed speaking to that young mother.'""

You can head back over to Berman Post: Sheila Jackson-Lee (D) Answers Phone Call While Constituent is Speaking to Her to watch the video to see if her answer jives with the clip. I did say that she was able to jump into an answer when the question was completed, but I am very skeptical of her answer.