TSA Releases Video Of Pat Down Confrontation With Congressman

Footage shows Texas Rep. swatting screener’s hand away from his genitals

Steve Watson
Prisonplanet.com
May 8, 2012

The TSA has released security footage of an incident that occurred two weeks ago at San Antonio International Airport involving a Congressman who refused to allow a screener to touch his genitals.

The video clips, obtained by San Antonio TV station KENS 5, show Texas Rep. Francisco Canseco being singled out for an enhanced pat down. As the TSA screener reaches for Canseco’s private parts, the Congressman is seen swatting away the screener’s hand.

The video then shows TSA officials and San Antonio police officers swarming around Canseco, before he is finally patted down by another screener and allowed to leave for his flight.

“The agent was very aggressive in his pat-down, and he was patting me down where no one is supposed to go,” Canseco, who describes himself as a “limited-government conservative”, told KENS 5 news.

“It got very uncomfortable so I moved his hand away. That stopped everything and brought in supervisors and everyone else.” Canseco added.

A further video shows Canseco being confronted by a TSA screener in the same airport the following week.

Canseco contends that after complaining about the first incident and describing it as assault he was then targeted for future patdowns by the TSA.

“I did not see it as a coincidence,” he said. “I asked them why are you going to pat me down again, so we discussed it further and after discussing it further, they patted me down.”

The TSA issued a statement denying any wrong doing on the part of its employees.

Watch the video:



The TSA has a history of bearing grudges against commuters who issue complaints against the agency. A mother who was detained in a glass cell by TSA agents in Phoenix in 2010 said the incident was retribution for a previous complaint regarding confiscation of her breast milk.

Last year several Texas State Officials reported that they were subjected to forceful patdowns from TSA agents after they opted out of walking through irradiating body scanners. According to the officials, TSA agents admitted that the overly forceful patdowns were being used as a “form of punishment”.

Last month we reported on an incident where a TSA agent scrawled “Go to hell” on a complaint form after a commuter requested an explanation for why his luggage had been tampered with.

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Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.net, and Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham in England.

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