Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio spent most of Tuesday denying that he caused a ruckus when he was pulled aside at Portland International Airport for a random security check.

The veteran Democratic lawmaker disputed a newspaper report that extra security officers were sent to the scene after he became angry when pulled from a line to board a plane Monday morning.

The Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call, reported that DeFazio "lost his temper" and denounced the security as "stupid" and complained to screeners that he was a member of Congress who had helped found the Transportation Security Administration. The paper said DeFazio swore and "caused a ruckus that drew extra security officers."

DeFazio told The Oregonian that he did not try to hinder the screening. He was screened at Eugene Airport, flew to Portland and then was pulled out of a passenger line boarding a flight to Washington, D.C.

DeFazio, from Springfield, said he complied with the TSA request and took his bag to a screener who began going through it.

"I did not say, 'Do you know who I am,' or 'You can't do this' or whatever," he said. "I went over there, I put my bag down and I said, 'You know, this is stupid. You know, I helped to create the TSA. You know, I'm an expert on security.' ... I didn't say, 'You can't look through my bag.' I didn't ask for any special privilege."

DeFazio said he may have mumbled a swear word under his breath but did not recall cursing the security screeners.

DeFazio said that Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., was behind him in line for the United Airlines flight and told him that he showed restraint. Blumenauer aide Sahar Wali said the congressman was unable to return a call from The Oregonian on Tuesday.

TSA officials in Portland declined to comment, but Dwayne Baird, a TSA spokesman in Salt Lake City, said no extra security officials were called to the scene. He said that when he talked to TSA officials in Portland, they had not heard anything about the newspaper account of DeFazio swearing at a screener.

A statement from the TSA said that after being pulled aside for a random gate screening: "Congressman DeFazio expressed concern about the screening protocol and requested a briefing from TSA officials."

DeFazio is not the only lawmaker to have questions raised about his conduct at security checkpoints. Earlier this month, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., admitted he set off an alarm after going through the wrong security gate at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.

However, Vitter dismissed a report in Roll Call that he had gotten into a heated argument with an airline employee as he rushed to make a flight.

In 2006, then-Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., was involved in an altercation with a Capitol Hill police officer at a security checkpoint and lost her re-election bid later in the year.

DeFazio, a senior member of the House Transportation Committee, worked on airport security when he was ranking member of the panel's aviation subcommittee after the 9/11 attacks.

He said the TSA tried random checks of passengers at the boarding gates but stopped after they were found to be ineffective. DeFazio said he recently noticed the TSA had reinstated the searches and that he intended to talk to the agency about them. He said the searches take staffers away from the main security checkpoints while failing to accomplish much.

DeFazio met Tuesday afternoon in his Capitol Hill office with a top TSA official to discuss the agency's screening procedures.

DeFazio said his behavior at the gate was not out of the norm of what he sees on his frequent travels.

"I have seen business travelers less amicable than I was in similar situations," he said.

-- Jeff Mapes; jeffmapes@news.oregonian.com