Local activist faces wiretapping charges for recording Rep. Harris staffer meeting on Facebook Live

A local progressive activist was charged with illegal wiretapping following an incident in which he recorded a meeting with a congressional staffer in Salisbury on Facebook Live, state prosecutors said.

Salisbury University student Jake Burdett, 20, is a member of many local progressive groups. Working with Maryland Marijuana Justice in October 2018, he participated in a rally in front of U.S. Rep. Andy Harris' Salisbury office.

Harris, a Republican representing Maryland's First District, which includes the Eastern Shore, has historically been against the legalization of marijuana. He has been targeted by pro-marijuana groups on several occasions, including a separate Oct. 2018 event in which two people were charged at Harris' Washington, D.C., office after the group attempted to forcibly enter the office and lit marijuana cigarettes.

A congressional staffer for Harris offered to meet with a group of activists including Burdett on Oct. 2, according to a Thursday release from the Office of the State Prosecutor. Once inside Harris' office, members of the congressional staff told the group they were not allowed to record in the office due to a policy in the office.

Read more: https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2019/02/14/facebook-live-wiretapping-wicomico-andy-harris/2869368002/