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Harris clashes with forum audience, threatens reporter's removal
WBAL-TV • • nation
Key Points:
- At a heated candidate forum on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Rep. Andy Harris scolded the audience for interrupting and later confronted a student reporter, Cat Murphy, over her video recording of a post-forum news conference.
- Harris claimed Maryland's two-party consent law prohibited Murphy from recording without his permission in the private room where the news conference was held, demanding she stop filming and be removed; Murphy and legal experts disputed this, noting the setting was public.
- Harris defended his actions by stating the event was a private media session, not a public forum, and accused Murphy of making comments rather than asking questions, justifying his refusal to answer her inquiries.
- The Harris campaign condemned what it described as politically motivated disruption and intimidation at the forum, citing an assault charge against one individual, while the University of Maryland supported Murphy, affirming her legal right to record and praising her professionalism.
