He didn’t think his baggage was arriving fast enough so he, according to reports, barged into the baggage claims area that’s off limits to the public, pushing a United Airways employee out of the way in the process:
Filner (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, has been charged with assault and battery of a United Airlines employee after he allegedly forced his way into an unauthorized area of baggage claim at Dulles Airport and pushed an employee out of the way in an attempt to retrieve his bags, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
Filner is the latest member of Congress to have a run-in with law enforcement. In July, Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) had a loud confrontation with Capitol Police officers at a Capitol doorway, and he later apologized for the incident. In a now infamous incident, former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), slammed her cell phone against the chest of a Capitol Police officer who asked her for identification because she was not wearing her special member of Congress pin. Also last year, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) was arrested for driving under the influence when he rammed his car into a steel barrier outside the Capitol. He later underwent rehabilitation for alcohol and apologized to the Capitol Police.
It remains to be seen how Filner will handle the potentially embarrassing incident. The charges and the details of what happened at Dulles Airport on Sunday night are now part of the public record at a magistrate’s office in Loudoun County, Va., near Dulles Airport.
This is again another politician who thinks he can circumvent all the rules because he’s a member of the government. It’s arrogance at its worst. However, that isn’t the only angle of this story making the rounds in the ‘sphere. It seems several news outlets conveniently left off Congressman Filner’s political affiliation, an error the media never seem to make when reporting on a Republican. Allahpundit at Hot Air, Ace, American Pundit, and Instapundit are all covering the media’s little game of “Guess Which Political Party We’re Talking About.”
