Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) defended his decision to threaten a Maryland reporter with prosecution during a post-debate press conference, framing the incident as him defending himself against “the liberal media.”
“The bottom line is it’s not very newsworthy that the liberal media badgers a conservative politician,” Harris said in an interview with Maryland’s Fox45. “What was newsworthy is that I actually pushed back against it.”
Harris railed against a student reporter for the Capital News Service on Tuesday evening after he finished a debate with his 2026 Democratic challenger, Dan Schwartz. Harris told the journalist that she could not record him during a press gaggle because she did not have his consent and threatened, “If you record, we will refer you to the prosecutor.”
When asked about his threat to prosecute her over his demand for two-party consent — a Maryland statute under which all parties must consent to be recorded in private settings — Harris defended his words.
“There is clearly a need for two-party consent, but it would have applied to everyone. That’s why, in the end, I just left everyone and their cameras and left the room,” Harris said.
Harris told the outlet that the reporter, Cat Murphy, was criticizing his news conference, leading to their confrontation. When the Fox45 reporter asked Harris if her would apologize to Murphy, he said he would have a conversation with her over the phone if she called his office.
“I would tell her what bothered me. What bothered me is that she didn’t ask a question; she criticized the way I was conducting the news conference. She’s a journalism student — I think she should realize that’s not really your purpose. That’s not your purpose to attempt to run a press conference. And yeah, I think, we talk it over,” Harris said.
Harris’s confrontation with Murphy came after a heated debate, during which audience members who were supporters of Schwartz laughed at an answer from Harris about energy prices. During the press conference after the debate, Harris told Murphy she did not have his permission to record. She continued to attempt to ask him about the war in Iran, but Harris subsequently requested a police officer and left the interaction.
ANDY HARRIS LASHES OUT AT REPORTER AFTER VOTERS LAUGH AT HIS BLAMING OF DEMOCRATS FOR ENERGY COSTS
Harris won his last election in 2024 by over 22 percentage points and has led in the limited polling on the 2026 race against Schwartz. His seat is listed as “solid Republican” by the Cook Political Report.
His seat had been a target of Democrats seeking to redistrict Maryland, but the effort failed in the state legislature.