Maryland Republican accuses reporter of violating law by recording postdebate gaggle

GOP Rep. Andy Harris (Md.) accused a reporter of unlawfully filming his comments to the media, despite inviting members of the press to speak to him, following a Tuesday evening debate.

In a video clip shared by The Baltimore Banner , Harris told off a reporter for recording him, citing Maryland’s “ two-party state ” laws, which bar the recording of private conversations without consent from both involved participants. The lawmaker is seeking reelection in the state’s 1st Congressional District.

“I refuse to give you permission to record,” the Republican said to a female reporter during the recorded interaction.

After the journalist pressed the lawmaker on his comments about the Iran war, Harris asked for her camera to be taken away.

“She is violating the law. In fact, get an officer in here,” he says in the video. “She’s violating the law on two-party recording. We need an officer.”

Only private conversations are protected under Maryland law , and people are permitted to record in situations where there is “no reasonable expectation of privacy.”

In a Wednesday social media post , Banner reporter Pamela Wood noted the lawmaker “invited” reporters to interview him after the debate, something Brenda Wintrode — another journalist with the outlet — also pointed out to Harris during the gaggle.

“They all had their cameras and phones rolling and visible to the congressman,” Wood wrote on social media. “There was no expectation of privacy here. As soon as he spoke, he consented to being recorded.”

Harris’s office did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Harris lashed out during the debate after he faced scrutiny from audience members over his leadership amid rising diesel costs and the impact of federal budget cuts in the state.

After Harris deflected blame toward Democrats’ environmental policies for high fuel costs — which have been widely attributed to the Trump administration’s ongoing military operations against Iran — the crowd erupted in laughter, according to the Banner .

At one point, the incumbent Republican scolded an audience member who disagreed with him, saying, “You should let me finish the sentence, man. You are rude.”

Dan Schwartz, his Democratic opponent, slammed the incumbent Republican for his performance on the debate stage.

“The message of the night was clear, Andy Harris is out of touch, out of practice talking to voters, and much more interested in picking fights and spinning his story than offering real answers,” Schwartz wrote on social media following the debate.

Harris was first elected to the House in 2010 and is seeking his ninth term in Congress. He is the current chair and an original member of the House Freedom Caucus, which includes some of the most conservative members of Congress.