In a sign of how much Rep. Wilson's outburst has inflamed the political sphere, the Congressman's website crashed this morning from the influx of visitors looking to see just who the irreverent not-so-gentleman from South Carolina is and what he believes. A message on the website reads "Due to exceptionally high traffic, this site is temporarily unavailable." Official websites of House members are maintained by government IT staff.
Bowing to political pressure from both sides of the aisle, Wilson later apologized for his outburst.
“This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when
listening to the President’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal
immigrants in the healthcare bill. While I disagree with the
President’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable.
I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of
civility.”
Lawmakers are calling on Wilson to apologize on the House
floor today as well. Sources state that Wilson called the White House late last night to personally apologize and ended up speaking with Chief of
Staff Rahm Emanuel, another man not known for keeping his fiery nature in check.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Wilson's outburst has already prompted a surge of $100,000 in campaign contributions to his democratic competitor, Rob Miller, an Iraq War veteran who unsuccessfully challenged Wilson in 2008.