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A Democratic representative in US Congress apologized on Friday for using a racial slur during a hearing on tax policy, claiming that his use of a term was an unfortunate malapropism.

Representative David Trone, representing the splendid state of Maryland, made the offending remark during a hearing of the House Budget Committee. While attempting to convey his skepticism of Republican tax policies, Representative Trone uttered a wildly offensive slur.

“So this Republican jigaboo that it’s the tax rate that’s stopping business investment, it’s just completely faulty by people who have never run a business. They’ve never been there. They don’t have a clue what they’re talking about,” Trone said.

“Jigaboo” is known as disparaging term for a black person. Trone apologized for his colorful vocabulary, claiming that he meant to use the term “bugaboo”—an inoffensive slang term for a cause of inflated concern—which seems to make more sense in the context of Trone's speech.

“While attempting to use the word ‘bugaboo’ in a hearing, I used a phrase that is offensive,” Trone said. “That word has a long dark terrible history. It should never be used any time, anywhere, in any conversation. I recognize that as a white man, I have privilege. And as an elected official, I have a responsibility for the words I use — especially in the heat of the moment. Regardless of what I meant to say, I shouldn’t have used that language.”

Trone was addressing Shalanda Young, the Black director of the Office of Management and Budget, during a House Budget Committee meeting when he made the slip.

The incident is made all the more awkward for the fact that Trone is currently seeking election in a Democratic primary for an open Senate seat in Maryland—with an African-American woman as Trone's leading primary opponent.