Did a TSA security pat-down get out of hand?
Angela Rye, a CNN political commentator, NPR political analyst and chief executive of the IMPACT Strategies, a political advocacy firm in Washington, expressed outrage at the grabby nature of a screening at Detroit Metropolitan Airport this week.
"I was just thoroughly traumatized by the TSA," she said in a Periscope video. "I've been randomly selected maybe three times in my life. Even if they think this is OK, it's not. I've never been a victim of unwanted touching until today. I literally started crying while this was happening. It's not right."
Rye, a former Congressional Black Caucus executive director and general counsel, has issued a complaint to the TSA and wrote about the experience on CNN.com.
Rye tweeted footage of the screening, saying she asked a police officer to record the interaction so that she could send it to he TSA.
The TSA issued the following statement Thursday:
The Transportation Security Administration takes reports of alleged impropriety very seriously. TSA looked into the specific details related to the screening process and concluded that our security protocols were followed. It is worth noting that just seven years ago on December 25, 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab flew from Amsterdam to Detroit wearing an explosive device in his underwear. Abdulmutallab pleaded guilty to carrying that explosive device on an aircraft with 289 passengers and attempting to detonate that device. TSA's procedures, including pat down screenings, are designed to prevent such an act. TSA officers must work to resolve all alarms at the checkpoint to ensure everyone arrives safely at their destination. We regret any distress the security screening process may have caused the passenger. We are in contact with the passenger and will continue to work with her directly to address her concerns.
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