Source: TheHill.com

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said she thinks the reaction of a passenger who accused United Airlines of giving away her first-class seat to the Democratic lawmaker was race-related. Jackson Lee released a statement on Twitter after a woman claimed the airline gave away her seat to the congresswoman on her flight from Houston to Washington. Congresswoman Lee said she followed her normal boarding procedures and did not ask or receive special treatment. She said she later learned that the woman had canceled her own flight. The airline issued the woman, Jean-Marie Simon, a $500 voucher after the incident and she was reassigned to the plane's economy section. The Texas Democrat said she is glad the airline is working to address the passenger's concerns. The Texas Democrat said she is glad the airline is working to address the passenger's concerns. "But as an African American, I know there are too many examples like this all over the nation," she wrote.