Republican Senator Rand Paul Detained By Obama TSA – Refuses Pat-down

Rand Paul speaks to reporters after the incident with TSA this morning. (WKRN)

Republican Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was detained by TSA this morning after he refused a pat-down a the Nashville airport. The conservative senator was turned away after he refused the pat-down.
CNN reported:

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.

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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.

Paul, one of the most conservative members of the Senate, is an outspoken critic of what he characterizes as an overly obtrusive federal government threatening to strip of citizens of various rights and civil liberties.

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Really TSA? You turned away a US senator for safety concerns?

Senator Paul has been a harsh critic of the invasive searches by TSA in the past. Paul spoke out against the TSA policies during a hearing back in June 2011.

UPDATE: It was an illegal detention by TSA.
ABC reported:

The U.S. Constitution actually protects federal lawmakers from detention while they’re on the way to the Capital.

“The Senators and Representatives…shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same….” according to Article I, Section 6.

The Senate is back in session today at 2 p.m., with votes scheduled at 4:30 p.m.