By Elliott Freeman
Clearwater – A group of TSA agents attempted to stop Texas Congressman Ron Paul and his family from boarding their private plane at a small airport in Clearwater, Florida on Tuesday, insisting that they submit to an extensive screening and bomb check before flying.
Paul, his wife, Carol, and one of their granddaughters were preparing to depart when eight TSA agents confronted them, according to Lew Rockwell, Paul’s former chief of staff. The agents reviewed the pilots’ paperwork, but demanded that they be allowed to search the aircraft for explosives.
The pilots objected, pointing out that the fuel-laden airplane is an explosive itself. “Then Carol Paul, who has a pacemaker, refused to be screened, and an aide started taking video of the whole rotten process,” Rockwell writes. Eventually, the TSA backed down and allowed the Pauls to board the plane without further incident. The purported video of this encounter has yet to be released. Paul has been one of the most vocal critics of the TSA in Congress, lambasting the agency’s use of naked body scanners and invasive pat downs in numerous campaign speeches.
He also authored the American Traveler Dignity Act, a House bill that would prohibit the TSA from performing any activity that is illegal for other citizens. If passed, the bill could potentially bring the pat downs to a halt.