Senator Rand Paul Detained by TSA at Nashville Airport

Ron Paul Facebook Page/CNN ^ | January 23, 2012 | Congressman Ron Paul/Dana Bash

[Timber Rattler]

TSA turns away Sen. Rand Paul at airport checkpoint

From Dana Bash, CNN

updated 11:26 AM EST, Mon January 23, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Sen. Rand Paul refuses a pat-down at a security checkpoint, his spokeswoman says
• The Kentucky Republican sets off an alarm when he went through a scanner
• A TSA official says Paul was "not detained" but left willingly

(CNN) -- Authorities blocked U.S. Sen. Rand Paul at the Nashville airport Monday after the Kentucky Republican refused a pat-down at a security checkpoint, his spokeswoman said.

Paul went through a scanner at the airport and set off an alarm, said his spokeswoman, Moira Bagley. He wanted to go through the body scan again instead of getting a pat-down, but officers of the Transportation Security Administration refused, Bagley said.

Read more at cnn.com

Posted by Ron Paul on his Facebook page: "My son Rand is currently being detained by the TSA at the Nashville Airport. I'll share more details as the situation unfolds."

[Timber Rattler]

Not a Ron Paul fan as most here know, but I'm hoping that TSA has finally screwed itself for good by detaining a U.S. Senator.

Ron Paul Facebook Page

[MulberryDraw]

So what will NDAA really be like after it kicks in in early March?

[LBG11]

Story from CNN: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/23/breaking-sen-rand-paul-detained-at-airport/

I don’t blame him... those pat downs take forever!

[kcvl]

Yeah, he looks like a terrorist ready to blow up an airplane! /s

[stormer]

Depends on what he did.

[truthkeeper]

Wow, 2,399 comments in 38 minutes.

[Cboldt]

-- I'm hoping that TSA has finally screwed itself for good by detaining a U.S. Senator. --

Don't hold your breath. The TSA is held in contempt and ridicule by a majority, and the agency hasn't lost any power or sleep over it.

[LBG11]

But from fox news twitter: “My colleague Mike Levine reports that a law enforcement official says that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was not detained, despite contrary claims.”

[rfreedom4u]

I thought congress critters had their own special line to go through? After all they can’t be held up by us little people.

[Timber Rattler]

I hope that he puts a senatorial hold on every TSA budget that gets submitted from here on in.

[stormer]

Rules are for little people...

[Sprite518]

So a U.S. Senator is being Detained????

WTF???

[Jonty30]

Down into the memory hole...

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Why does it say at the link there were no comments?

[Timber Rattler]

Yeah, but I know first hand that a single pissed off Senator can do tremendous damage to an agency and its senior management, no matter what it is.

[starvosan]

The object on his person picked up by the scanner has been identified as a pocket Constitution. They have called in the bomb squad and a hazmat team to neutralize the terrorist tool.

[Above My Pay Grade]

Sounds like he declined to consent to a sexual assault by TSA agents. Good for him! (Though his father is still a nut.)

[Timber Rattler]

You’re missing the point-—the TSA rules are so obnoxious that even a U.S. Senator can run afoul of them, and Rand Paul is in a position to do something about it (finally). I bet John Pistole is not a happy camper right now.

[Sybeck1]

Personally, this is probably why I will never fly again.

[Rich21IE]

Hmm, the steel plate in his head set off the metal detector? (sorry, couldn’t resist).