CAPITOL HILL -- Six-term Rep. Cynthia McKinney was still unsure late Friday if she would be charged for apparently striking a Capitol police officer.

But at a news conference, the Georgia Democrat said the matter was "instigated by the inapropriate touching and stopping of me, a female, black congresswoman."

Earlier in the day, her lawyer said she was "just a victim of being in Congress while black."

Attorney James Myart said that McKinney was a "victim of excessive use of force" because "of how she looks and the color of her skin."

WSB-TV in Atlanta reported that the officer didn't recognize her on Wednesday and tried to stop her from entering a House office building without first going through a metal detector.

Officials have said McKinney didn't stop and hit the officer after he placed a hand on her.

Members of Congress wear identifying lapel pins and routinely are waved into buildings without undergoing security checks. The officer apparently did not recognize McKinney, she said in a statement.

McKinney canceled a news conference that she had scheduled for Friday morning to discuss the incident.

She issued a statement Thursday saying she "deeply regrets" the confrontation with the police officer.

"I know that Capitol Hill Police are securing our safety, and I appreciate the work that they do. I have demonstrated my support for them in the past and I continue to support them now," she said in the statement on her Web site.

Charges could range from assault on a police officer, which is a felony carrying a possible five-year prison term, to simple assault, which is a misdemeanor.

Asked on-camera Thursday by WSB-TV whether she intended to apologize, McKinney refused to comment.

The confrontation sparked a rhetorical skirmish between House Republicans and Democrats.

Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called the incident "a mistake, an unfortunate lack of recognition of a member of Congress" and no fault of the officer.

A spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, responded by asking, "How many officers would have to be punched before it becomes a big deal?"