Rep. Andy Harris Defends Threat to Arrest Student Journalist
Representative Andy Harris refused to apologize for threatening to have student journalist Cat Murphy arrested during a public press gaggle in Maryland.
U.S. Representative Andy Harris defended his threat to have student journalist Cat Murphy arrested after a press gaggle earlier this week. Murphy, a student at the University of Maryland reporting for Capital News Service, was filming Harris during the event when the congressman confronted her.
Harris justified his actions by citing Maryland's two-party consent law regarding recordings. He claimed Murphy overstepped her role by criticizing the conduct of the press event and attempting to run the conference. Critics have countered that the recording law does not apply to public events where multiple journalists are filming.
In a subsequent interview with Fox 45, Harris declined to apologize for the encounter. He maintained that Murphy's failure to ask for permission was the primary issue and characterized the situation as the liberal media badgering a conservative politician.
