Republican Rep. Mike Lawler was caught wearing blackface at a Halloween party

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

The New York Times received photos from Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) wears blackface while disguised Michael Jackson for a Halloween party.

The pictures were taken in October 2006 when 20-year-old Lawler dressed up as the famous “King of Pop” at Manhattan College. The photo contained within Just The article shows Lawler wearing a black shirt with a red jacket while striking a Jackson dance pose. His face is also noticeably darkened.

Lawler is currently running for re-election in November Mondaire Jonesa black former lawmaker, in a swing district.

The New York congressman did not dispute the authenticity of the photos, instead arguing that the costume was “really the sincerest form of flattery.” Blackface has deep roots in anti-Black racism in the United States, dating back to the 1830s.

Lawler said the photos were “a true tribute to my musical hero since I was a little kid trying to walk through my mother's kitchen.”

“The ugly practice of blackface was the furthest thing from my mind,” he added. “Let me be clear, this is not that.”

“I'm a history major and I'm sorry to anyone who takes offense at the photo,” Lawler concluded. “All you can do is live and learn.”

Per JustLawler's affinity for Jackson during his youth led him to attend the star's criminal trial in California:

In 2005, as a high school senior, Mr. Lawler flew from New York to California to attend parts of Jackson's criminal trial. The pop star was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch; The case ended in an acquittal.

J. Randy Taraborrelli, a Jackson biographer, helped lure Mr. Lawler into the courtroom and recalled in his book that the young fan was “so disgusted” by the testimony against Jackson that “he couldn't help it.” According to Taraborrelli's biography, “Michael Jackson: The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story,” Mr. Lawler was removed from the courtroom.

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