Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., incorrectly insisted that a University of Maryland student journalist was violating state law when she recorded him at a news conference, threatening to refer her to prosecutors during a heated exchange after a debate Tuesday.
Speaking in a crowded hallway after an Oct. 13 debate with Democratic challenger Dan Schwartz, Harris demanded that University of Maryland student journalist Cat Murphy stop recording the news conference, arguing Maryland’s two-party consent law required his permission.
He was annoyed that she defended a reporter from The Baltimore Banner, who had irked him with a “silly” question about why he participated in the debate.
“You do not have my permission to record. If you record, we will refer you to the prosecutor,” Harris told Murphy, who responded that other journalists were already recording the news conference.
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“But you are not allowed to. We are in a two-party state. You are not allowed to,” an agitated Harris said while pointing in the student’s face.
The student asked why she, specifically, wasn’t allowed to record and Harris continued to grow frustrated.
“Because I refuse to give you permission to record,” Harris said. “Do you know the law?”
The student attempted to have a different journalist hold her recording device, and a separate reporter tried to explain to Harris that the interview was occurring in a public forum.
“I’m a legislator. … I actually know the law well,” Harris insisted.
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Murphy then tried to question Harris, who represents Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, about the war in Iran.
“You’re going to have to take her camera,” Harris said to someone in the room. “She is violating the law. In fact, get an officer in here. She’s violating the law on two-party recording. We need an officer.”
Other reporters repeatedly told Harris they were “in public,” but he responded that it “makes no difference whatsoever.”
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Harris continued to insist that Murphy needed his permission to record before ending the news conference and walking away.
“She’s ruining all your chances to get an answer about anything. See y’all,” he said while exiting. “Thank her profusely.”
In Maryland, the consent requirement only applies to “private conversation,” according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP). Footage of the incident quickly went viral, and Harris was widely mocked for botching the law.
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The University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, where Murphy is a student, defended her actions in a statement.
“Cat Murphy is a master’s student at the University of Maryland, credentialed as a reporter for our Capital News Service and doing the job we teach our students to do. Cat recorded openly in a public space alongside other news outlets, and that is her legal right,” Dean Rafael Lorente said in a statement.
“I’m proud of how she handled herself in a difficult situation.”
Harris’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Merrill College of Journalism did not immediately respond when asked for comment from Murphy.
Murphy told CNN that Harris had suggested during the debate that the war in Iran could have gone “smoother,” and she was seeking clarification.
The exchange also drew reactions from journalists and other social media users.
Harris is the only Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation.