Firebrand CNN political commentator Angela Rye was subjected to a humiliating body search while trying to board a plane to New York City on Wednesday night.
She posted the video to Twitter and alleged that the TSA employee who searched her twice touched her inappropriately.
Rye said she was singled out for a random search and that she had not set off any metal detector alarms. The TSA called a police officer when Rye asked why she was being singled out. Officials told her she could cooperate or be escorted from the airport by police.
Rye agreed, finally, to submit to the search, which covered every inch of her body, including an uncomfortable-to-watch probing of her genital area.
By the end of the search, Rye was shedding humiliated tears.
"I asked the police officer to film this so I can send to @TSA," she wrote. "I'm hoping my humiliation will fix the system. #TSAVaginaMonologues"
She followed up with a series of tweets.
I asked them to do this in public. I wouldn't have felt safer or less violated in "private". https://t.co/vCB0naXCUi— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481862978.0
I didn't beep. I was selected for random screening. https://t.co/uycoTrF1zq— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481867091.0
She got her vagina touched...twice by TSA. I pray it never happens to you. 🙏🏾 https://t.co/5GAkvGufm4— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481871869.0
I said the same thing! I have CLEAR and Precheck...it didn't matter. This STILL shouldn't happen if folks can't aff… https://t.co/vePSkmeZnn— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481891700.0
It was my vagina. Not almost. It happened twice. https://t.co/JMkt9kQL8w— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481895245.0
1. Metal detector and AIT (same thing). The AIT is what flagged my vag. I repeatedly refused a vaginal pat down. So… https://t.co/z86ZM7UDhv— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481896797.0
2. Even offered to go back through AIT. They told me to get the pat down or be escorted out by police.— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481896827.0
3. Instead, the officer recorded TSA's pat down and offered to file an incident report when it was finished.— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481896857.0
4. What she explained she would do in "back hand" pat down and the actual vaginal chop that occurred were diff. I would've preferred neither— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481896944.0
Watch the video, embedded below:
I asked the police officer to film this so I can send to @TSA. I'm hoping my humiliation will fix the system.… https://t.co/NvKLO025El— GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!!) 1481859336.0
