In June 2010, Etheridge was approached by two young men on a Washington, D.C., sidewalk. The pair, who identified themselves as students working on a project, asked Etheridge if he "fully supported the Obama agenda" while videorecording his response. In the video, Etheridge first says "Who are you?" repeatedly, then is seen grabbing one of the young men by the wrists, neck, and back of the shirt, while repeatedly asking the young men who they were. The young men responded that they were "students working on a project". One of them is heard asking the congressman three times to let go of him while the Congressman continued to hold on to him. Etheridge later apologized for the incident in a statement saying "I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction, and I apologize to all involved". Etheridge called a press conference where he stated that there was no excuse for his actions. He refused to speculate on the motivation of those involved and said that it had been a "long day". An article in "The New York Times" subsequently stated that unnamed "Republican political strategists acknowledge they were behind the episode."