MAGA Rep. Gets Blunt Reality Check After Raging At Reporter For Filming Him In Public After Disastrous Debate

MAGA Republican Representative Andy Harris—chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus—is the only member of the GOP representing Maryland in Congress.

On October 13, Harris faced off in a League of Women Voters debate against his opponent, Democrat Dan Schwartz. The night didn't go well for Harris who was openly mocked and heckled during the debate.

After Harris' excuses for MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's poor job performance received robust laughter, Harris lashed out at the audience, calling them rude.

You can see the moment here:

Things went from bad to worse when Harris called a press gaggle after the debate.

Harris interrupted a reporter from The Baltimore Banner saying:

"I'm going to say it slowly, because people from 'The Baltimore Banner' need me to say things slowly."

You can see local news coverage here:

youtu.be

After that confrontation, Harris moved on to student journalist Cat Murphy from the Capital News Service. Harris attacked Murphy after she told him she thought he should respect The Baltimore Banner reporter's questions just as much as hers.

Waving his finger in her face, Harris petulantly replied:

"Uh, we're not answering your question either."

You can see the full interaction from Murphy's own recording of Harris here:

When Murphy pushed back, Harris said:

"You cannot film me... This is a two-party state. I am not giving you authority to film me."

When another reporter pointed out Harris had called the press there himself, Harris told Murphy:

"Well, I'm disinviting you. You're gone. You're gone."

Harris then tried to get security to remove Murphy.

Another reporter off camera asked:

"Are you eliminating a member of the press? You just spoke [during the debate] about how you wanted people to defend and respect your First Amendment."

After Harris again appealed to security to do his bidding, he told Murphy:

"You do not have my permission to record. If you record, we will refer you to prosecutors."

Murphy responded:

"Everyone in here is recording. Why am I not allowed to?"

Harris replied:

"But you are not allowed to. We are in a two-party state. You are not allowed to."

After several members of the press told Harris it was a public forum and he was wrong, the Republican incumbent demanded security confiscate Murphy's phone and told them to get a police officer.

When Harris didn't get his way, he stormed off, telling the press to blame Murphy for his behavior.

Harris' fellow Maryland legislator, Democrat Jamie Raskin, was happy to provide Harris with a factcheck.

Representative Raskin wrote:

"No, it’s not illegal for a journalist to record a politician at a press availability when the politician invited the press! Classic Andy Harris. We served together in the Maryland State Senate and Congress for two decades—he's an authoritarian through and through, and can be counted on by tyrants all over the world—Trump, Putin, Orban, J6 insurrectionists."

In his accompanying video, Representative Raskin explained why Harris was wrong about Maryland law.

Multiple legal experts concurred that two-party consent laws don't apply in public areas where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy—even less so for an elected official at a press gaggle that they initiated.

People found Harris' behavior unacceptable.

The Baltimore Banner published an op-ed by Rick Hutzell on Harris, titled "Andy Harris the bully shows up at the end of his Maryland campaign."

Based on Harris' behavior, "bully" seems an apt description.