Harris’ campaign said one message warned that “blood will be drawn.” The statement did not identify who sent the message or provide further details about the alleged assault, including the name of the accused committee member or the circumstances of the incident. The allegations had not been independently confirmed in the information available Thursday.

The claims followed a heated exchange at the forum and a confrontation afterward with reporters. Harris criticized a Baltimore Banner reporter’s questions. When University of Maryland graduate student Cat Murphy, reporting for Capital News Service, defended her colleague, Harris told her she was no longer welcome and asked that she be escorted out.

Harris also said Murphy could not record him without permission, citing Maryland’s two-party consent law, and threatened to refer her to a prosecutor. Murphy responded that Harris had invited the press and that other people in the room were recording.

The dean of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism said Murphy was credentialed to report and had openly recorded in a public space. “That is her legal right,” the dean said, praising her handling of the confrontation. The Society of Professional Journalists also said journalists should be able to do their work without intimidation or threats of prosecution for routine newsgathering.

Harris’ campaign statement condemned political violence. The congressman said he remained committed to engaging directly with voters. The competing concerns raised after the forum — threats against elected officials and their families, alleged physical violence, and press access at political events — remain distinct claims, and the assault allegation is not a finding of guilt.