Vermont state rep admits secretly pouring water in colleague's bag for months

A Republican legislator issued an apology to her Democratic colleague in front of the Vermont House of Representatives after a hidden camera caught her pouring glasses of water into his bag on several occasions over five months.

Rep. Mary Ann Morrissey, who has served Bennington, Vermont since 1997, directed her apology to Rep. Jim Carroll, who also represents Bennington, during a recorded House veto session on Monday.

"I am truly ashamed for my actions,” Morrissey said aloud. "I have given my sincere apology to Jim directly and publicly and will be working towards resolution and restoration through our legislative process. It was conduct most unbecoming of my position as a representative and as a human being and is not reflective of my 28 years of service and civility."

Videos of Morrissey were first obtained by Seven Days through a public records request and show the lawmaker on March 23 and March 26 quickly pouring water into Carroll's bag after he walked off.

"For five months, I went through this,” Carroll said during the meeting after Morrissey’s apology. “... It was torment, there’s no doubt about it.”

It is unclear why Morrissey poured the water into Carroll's bag. USA TODAY contacted Morrissey's office Monday evening but has not received a response.

Carroll open to 'awkward' reconciliation with Morrissey

Carrol told the lawmakers during the meeting that Morrissey "had a choice to make" each time she "didn’t choose to either drop it or come to me and say, 'I’m sorry, I screwed up, let’s put our heads together and serve our constituents the way they ought to be.'"

Carroll also said he is open to sitting down with Morrissey to work through their problems, though he acknowledged that it may initially be "awkward."

“There’s gonna be some work to be done between the two of us,” he said. “That first time that we sit down together it's gonna be kind of awkward, but we have to start somewhere.”

How did Carroll figure out Morrissey was the one dumping the water?

To figure out who was dumping the water, Carroll installed a $23 spy camera in the hallway pointed at the coatrack outside his committee room, Seven Days reported. He then took the videos to House Speaker Jill Krowinski, who confronted Morrissey about it, according to the outlet.

In a written statement obtained by Seven Days, Carroll said he was "very reluctant to disclose the video because I believe it will deeply embarrass Representative Morrissey." However, he realized that "the media are aware of the details of Representative Morrissey’s behavior, and likely will continue to report on that behavior in the near future."

"I believe it is right that I release the video and be fully transparent to my constituents and all Vermonters," he wrote in the statement, per the outlet.