Sadly, the headline is probably hyperbole, as plenty of people will still vote for an asshole like Andy Harris. People like Harris, who don’t respect the press, don’t respect or even know the basic laws of the country, and aren’t interested in good government, have no business ever serving in office.
Source: Baltimore Banner
A University of Maryland student journalist targeted by U.S. Rep. Andy Harris during an informal press briefing Tuesday said she’ll continue to cover the Republican politician who threatened to have police remove her from the room.
Cat Murphy, a graduate student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism and a reporter for the student newswire Capital News Service, appeared on CNN Wednesday to recount a post-debate clash that has gone viral on social media and been broadcast on national news.
Here’s how it went down:
Tensions ran high during a League of Women Voters forum in Cambridge on Tuesday night between Harris and Democrat Dan Schwartz, and they spilled over into Harris’ post-debate news conference. That’s when words between Harris and multiple reporters came to a head. Harris shooed away questions from reporters that he said were “silly” and “stupid.”
Harris lashed out at Murphy after she asked him to respect the press. He demanded she stop recording the briefing and wrongly said Maryland’s wiretap law gave him the right to singularly deny her the ability to record him.
The law does not apply to public conversations, such as a post-debate press conference.
Murphy refused and kept recording, and Harris’ behavior devolved.
Devolved is a good word for it.
He threatened to refer her to a prosecutor, asked his security to take her phone away and told them to get police to escort her out.
Murphy pressed Harris for answers on his stance on the Iran War.
Before storming out of the room, the congressman told reporters to blame Murphy for his abrupt departure.
Absolute legend indeed.
This hero didn’t flinch when this lunatic was shouting in her face.
Absolute legend and hero. https://t.co/j68Zqe3kY3
— Maryland Politics & News (@AMinerDetail) October 15, 2026
Part of the CNN interview.
‘It’s been a lot. But I was focused on doing my job and asking my questions that I wanted answers to.’ Student journalist Cat Murphy joins @jaketapper to respond after GOP Rep. Andy Harris threatened to have her prosecuted for recording his answers during a news conference. https://t.co/x0QUSK1eNF
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) October 14, 2026
Jamie Raskin has seen plenty of Harris’ childish behavior over the years.
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. How dare he lecture his constituents about the First Amendment when he wanted to cut off all funds to the University of Maryland because he didn’t approve of a movie a student group showed on campus. If you want to support freedom and progress in Maryland and across America, please help out Dan Schwartz, @Schwartz4_MD1st in these final 20 days!
— Jamie Raskin (@jamie_raskin) October 15, 2026