Ex-Con Spouse of Lawmaker Aggressively Snatches Phone During Interview Attempt

The husband of progressive lawmaker Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., forcibly removed a phone from a reporter trying to question the congresswoman about alleged childcare fraud in Minnesota. The incident occurred inside Chelsea City Hall, Massachusetts, when the reporter approached Pressley with his phone recording and began asking about her stance on the issue.

Conan Harris, Pressley’s husband, who previously served a decade in prison for drug trafficking, swatted the phone out of the interviewer’s hand during the interaction. The reporter protested, insisting, “Sir, you cannot take my phone out of my hand,” before regaining control of the device and attempting to continue filming.

After Harris blocked the initial question, he was seen walking away toward a nearby room, possibly a bathroom, as the cameraman refocused the phone on him. The interviewer then shifted his focus back to Pressley, posing the question again about her support for a presidential investigation into Somali childcare fraud in Minnesota. Pressley declined to respond while walking away, flanked by her staff.

This confrontation occurred on the same day the Trump administration announced a freeze on $10 billion in federal childcare funds across five states—California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. The suspension followed revelations of fraud within social service programs serving the Somali community in Minnesota.

An official from the Office of Management and Budget told Axios that the funding hold was motivated by concerns over fraud and the distribution of aid to undocumented immigrants. The controversy has sparked heightened scrutiny of federal childcare spending in Democratic-leaning states.

Pressley has publicly highlighted her husband’s experience reintegrating into society after incarceration as a basis for her advocacy on criminal justice reform. However, his aggressive response to the reporter’s questions has drawn significant attention amid escalating tensions around the Minnesota childcare fraud probe.

Elon Musk, former head of the Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration, recently claimed that fraud in states such as California, New York, and Illinois surpasses that of Minnesota. He estimated that roughly 10% of the federal budget, or about $700 billion annually, may be lost to nationwide fraud.

The reporter’s attempt to secure Pressley’s position on the issue and the subsequent intervention by Harris reflect the fraught environment surrounding this investigation. Fox News reached out to Pressley’s office for comment but did not receive a response. The unfolding developments continue to fuel debates over accountability and transparency in federal childcare funding programs.