GOP official apologizes for writing atop Benton painting

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The vice chairwoman of the Missouri Republican Party is apologizing for placing a business card atop a Thomas Hart Benton painting in the Missouri Statehouse and then writing on the card.

The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/1Qs40l8 ) reports that Vice Chairwoman Valinda Freed offered her apology Sunday in a written statement. She described what happened as a "completely unplanned and thoughtless act."

Gasconade County Republican editor and photojournalist Dave Marner was taking photos Wednesday during the General Assembly's one-day veto session when he captured Freed and another person using the painting as a backdrop for their writing. The image began attracting attention Friday after Marner posted it on Facebook.

Freed didn't identify the man who stood next to her writing. Neither wrote on the painting itself but on the business cards.


Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com