Rand Paul Describes His TSA 'Detention'

Reuters
Eric Randall 4,127 Views Jan 23, 2012

Sen. Rand Paul spoke to The Daily Caller after his very public claim that he was detained by the Transportation Security Authority in Nashville after refusing a pat down, saying "If you’re told you can’t leave, does that count as detention?" The TSA and White House spokesman Jay Carney claimed Paul wasn't detained, he was just escorted out after refusing a full-body pat-down. "Let’s be clear, the passenger was not detained. He was escorted out of the area by local law-enforcement," Carney said Monday. But here's Paul with a fuller account:

I tried to leave the cubicle to speak to one of the TSA people and I was barked at: ‘Do not leave the cubicle!’ So, that, to me sounds like I’m being asked not to leave the cubicle. It sounds a little bit like I’m being detained.

After about two hours of negotiations, the TSA let him enter the full-body scanner again and when it didn't beep, he proceeded on his way, dignity, apparently, intact.

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