Tea Party blogger arrested for sneaking into opponent's wife's hospital room

Clayton Thomas Kelly

Tea party blogger Clayton Thomas Kelly has been arrested for sneaking into an adult care facility and taking a photo of US Sen. Thad Cochran's (R-MS) wife, who is being treated for Alzheimer's:

Clayton Thomas Kelly runs a political blog called Constitutional Clayton, where he posted a story April 26 attacking Cochran and supporting state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who's challenging Cochran in the state's GOP Senate primary this year.

The piece included a picture taken bedside in Rose Cochran's room at the nursing home, where she has lived since 2000.

In a press release, the Madison Police Department said that Kelly "had illegally and improperly obtained an image of a vulnerable adult resident without their consent for his own benefit." He was charged with exploitation of a vulnerable adult, and his bond was set at $100,000.

In a statement, the Cochrans' attorney, Donald Clark, said his clients' "privacy and dignity have been violated," according to the Clarion-Ledger.

McDaniel has denounced the shenanigans, but Cochran's campaign isn't completely convinced McDaniel's camp is completely in the clear. Apparently, McDaniel's campaign manager knew about the arrest before news reports.

Ah, the Tea Party - the gift that keeps giving...