Blogger Arrested For Sneaking Nursing Home To Photograph GOP Senator’s Wife

FILE - This Feb. 4, 2014 file photo shows Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss, center, speaking during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Republicans in the 2014 midterm elections can’t seem to reach an officia... FILE - This Feb. 4, 2014 file photo shows Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss, center, speaking during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Republicans in the 2014 midterm elections can’t seem to reach an official party line on that the old Washington practice of writing the federal budget to benefit the folks back home. Sure, top Republicans like Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell _ now Senate minority leader _ and Cochran begrudgingly banned so-called earmarks more than three years ago. They were reacting both to the tea party’s rise and a push from conservative House Republicans like Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, now a House Appropriations subcommittee chairman. Cochran is flanked by Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., left, and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) MORE LESS
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A Mississippi political blogger has been arrested for allegedly sneaking into the nursing home where Sen. Thad Cochran’s wife resides and taking her picture for an online video, the Clarion-Ledger reported Saturday.

The blogger, Clayton Thomas Kelly, 28, was charged with exploitation of a vulnerable adult. The video, described as a “hit piece” to the newspaper by its sources, was allegedly critical of Cochran (R-MS) and supportive of his GOP primary challenger, State Sen. Chris McDaniel.

It was posted on April 26 and included a picture of Rose Cochran, who suffers from dementia and moved into the nursing home in 2000. It has since been taken down, according to the Clarion-Ledger.

The Mississippi Senate Republican primary has been one of the fiercest establishment versus tea party battles of the 2014 cycle. The Clarion-Ledger reported that Kelly ran the Constitutional Clayton blog, which includes multiple posts critical of Cochran and fawning toward McDaniel — wondering at one point if he is “the next Rand Paul.”

UPDATE: 11:55 p.m. ET

The McDaniel campaign issued a statement from McDaniel and emphasized that Clayton had “no relationship” with the campaign.

“I’ve reached out to Senator Cochran directly to express my abhorrence for the reprehensible actions of this individual. This criminal act is deeply offensive and my team and I categorically reject such appalling behavior,” McDaniel said in the statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Cochran and his family. Politics is about the exchange of ideas and this type of action has no place in politics whatsoever and will not be tolerated.”

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Notable Replies

  1. I’ve seen some really atrocious lowlife crap from the baggers over the years, but this really sinks to an all time low. Really disgusting. I’m in the health care industry and I have worked in an Alzheimer’s ward for some time and this is not in any way funny, amusing or anything but reprehensible. I hope there’s a decent penalty for what he’s done.

  2. No relevant results for Clayton Thomas Kelly in my search engine… it must be a wimpy little blog. His parents must have skipped the lessons on respect for others.

  3. OK, he happens to be a Dirtbagger. But I don’t care what party line you belong to, this is not cool.

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