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Michigan state senator Dale Zorn has apologized after wearing a facemask that appeared to depict the Confederate flag.

Zorn, a Republican, wore the mask during a senate vote at the Michigan capitol in Lansing on Friday. He initially defended his actions, saying his wife had made the mask and that it depicted the flag of Tennessee or Kentucky.

“I told my wife it probably will raise some eyebrows, but it was not a Confederate flag,” Zorn told Lansing TV station WLNS on Friday. “Even if it was a Confederate flag, you know, we should be talking about teaching our national history in schools and that’s part of our national history and it’s something we can’t just throw away because it is part of our history.” When Zorn was asked what the meaning of the Confederate flag is, he replied, “The Confederacy”.

However, after receiving criticism from both Republicans and Democrats in the Michigan senate, Zorn issued an apology on Saturday. “I’m sorry for my choice of pattern on the face mask I wore yesterday on the Senate floor. I did not intend to offend anyone; however, I realize that I did, and for that I am sorry. Those who know me best know that I do not support the things this pattern represents,” he wrote on Twitter. “My actions were an error in judgment for which there are no excuses and I will learn from this episode.”

Earlier, a spokesperson for Michigan’s senate majority leader, Republican Mike Shirkey said Shirkey “would not support or encourage any senator to display an insensitive symbol on the Senate floor.”

The leader of the Democrats in the Michigan senate, Jim Ananich, said: “I’m just really disappointed to see him make a choice that is deeply hurtful to so many people. When he was called out for it, he didn’t seem to even understand or acknowledge what the problem was.”

Zorn was in Lansing on Friday to vote on measures that would increase oversight of Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer’s powers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Michigan is one of a number of states that have attracted protests against stay-at-home orders during the pandemic. Zorn said he supported bipartisan oversight of Whitmer’s actions.

“The founding idea of a government for the people and by the people should not be tossed aside lightly, even in cases of a public health emergency,” Zorn said in a statement on Friday.

“I supported this legislation to give the Michigan people more input into the governor’s use of emergency powers that limit their freedom and affect their lives.

“Emergency actions were necessary to protect the public when the coronavirus came to Michigan. This reform is about speeding up the process for ensuring that elected officials listen to the people and work together to both address the crisis and, when appropriate, enable people to live their lives.”