TSA Says Proper Procedure Followed When Governor's Son's Backpack Bypassed Security

— -- The TSA says proper procedure was followed when a backpack belonging to Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy’s son, Sam, bypassed a security checkpoint at Bradley International Airport last November. The governor's office, however, called the incident a "mistake."

Surveillance video obtained by the Hartford Courant appears to show Gov. Malloy, flanked by security personnel, carrying his son’s backpack through a private hallway to the gate area, while his son proceeds through a regular TSA checkpoint. The family then reunites near the gate, where the governor apparently handed the backpack off to his son, who boarded the plane.

The TSA, which initiated a review, ultimately concluded “the screening of the Governor and his family followed proper procedure.” However, the governor's office vowed it would "never happen again."

“Mistakes happen,” Malloy’s Communications Director, Devon Puglia, said in a statement. "It was a momentary error that was a product of constant traveling to, from, and across the state, and a product of the Governor’s wanting to see his son off at the airport as a father."

"While this was a simple mistake borne out of a parent carrying luggage for his son, it should not have happened,” Puglia continued.

TSA refused to elaborate on normal gubernatorial procedure, citing “sensitive security information.”

But Malloy, who says the family was in a rush, told the Courant he doubted the bag was ever screened.

"Listen, I do what the TSA and security work out," he told the Courant.