The U.S. Marshals Service plans to investigate video of an arrest raid posted this week on GOP Rep. Pete King’s YouTube page, the federal law enforcement agency confirmed Wednesday.
The footage posted to King's YouTube page on Tuesday possibly violates federal policy against non-officials filming inside private residences, according to the Marshals Service.
King, a New York representative who is also chairman of the House
Homeland Security Committee, is shown in the video accompanying law
enforcement officials including U.S. Marshal Lenny DePaul, a star of the
A&E reality show "Manhunters." The logo of the TV show is included
in the video, which shows uniformed New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force officials entering an apartment and making an arrest.
The news site TPM
first reported on the video and its removal.
The video posted to King’s YouTube page includes footage that appeared to be taken by a videographer accompanying King inside at least one private residence during a raid. Anyone other than a U.S. Marshal employee or Task Force officer is prohibited from filming inside a private residence during an arrest.
King tweeted a link to the footage on Tuesday, describing it as video of the congressman joining “U.S. Marshals on early morning raids in the Bronx & Brooklyn” the previous day. That tweet was followed by what the account called “updated video” three hours later.
TPM reported that the second video was substantially edited, with almost a minute of footage cut. Both YouTube videos have since been removed from King’s account, but TPM saved the original, unedited video.
King’s office did not immediately respond when asked to comment, but spokesman Kevin Fogarty told The Wall Street Journal that King was innocent of wrongdoing.
"Congressman King was invited by the US Marshals to accompany them in a series of raids and everything was done in compliance with their procedures,” he said in an email.
--This post was updated at 2:19 p.m.
