Politics on the Hudson

Sen. Charles Schumer was in the newspapers this morning, and not because of one of his regular press conferences.

Politico reported yesterday Schumer called a flight attendant the “B-word” when she asked him to shut off his phone as the flight was ready to leave. Schumer, who was seated next to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, apologized and later called the flight attendant to do the same.

The phone apparently rang again after the attendant had told Schumer to shut it off and he reportedly responded, “It’s Harry Reid calling, I guess health care will have to wait until we land.”

The New York Post reported Schumer has a history of being “plane aggressive.” In an editorial, the paper also knocked Gillibrand over it.

Updated: Here’s the statement from Schumer’s spokesman Max Young. “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 in a personal phone call to the flight attendant.”

Republicans quickly pounced on the story.

“It’s often said that the most dangerous place to be in Washington or New York is between Chuck Schumer and a TV camera, but it’s increasingly clear that a close second is when someone has the gall to ask the senator to follow the same rules that every other airline passenger must follow,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh.