Aren't the members of Congress protected by the constitution from

[CK_John]

arrest or detainment while going to or from Congress?

I think the TSA may be on thin ice if they interfere with members of Congress. Any legally eagles think I'm pointed in the right direction.

[TheWraith]

1. Yes, but he wasn't going to Congress.

Also, being delayed in airport security is not "arrest."

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

2. Isn't Congress still in recess? I also thought he was going to a march, not to work.

[Bandit]

3. Arrest maybe but I don't think there is anything about detainment or searches.

[pkz]

4. he was traveling to a "function"

“Today I’ll speak to the March for Life in DC. A nation cannot long endure w/o respect for the right to Life. Our Liberty depends on it,” tweeted Rand Paul at 9:49 A.M.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71818.html#ixzz1kJcbJIDN

[atreides1]

8. Love the way they always talk about "Liberty"

Especially when it involves the idea of taking away someone else's liberty...because they don't like it!

[Lawlbringer]

5. The veracity of his "detention"

could be called into question.

Plus he wasn't detained or arrested. I mean, detained in the technical sense, he wasn't taken into custody. He took another flight later.

[ashling]

9. He wasn't detained, just not allowed to proceed to his flight

If hes was allowed to leave, then he was not detained.

[hugo_from_TN]

10. From dictionary.com

1. to keep from proceeding; keep waiting; delay.

[ashling]

11. Do you think that the TSA refers to dictionary.com?

seriously, detention in legal terms refers to mobility - not forward or sideways or backward, but full detention.
If the TSA said (and somebody should, they REALLY should)
"SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP! AND DON"T MOVE!"
that would have been detention.

[Ian David]

6. He wasn't detained.

http://gawker.com/5878427/rand-paul-is-so-full-of-shit-about-being-detained-by-the-tsa

[former9thward]

7. He was going to DC and would be covered.

The fact that he was going to a march first is irrelevant and would not stand up in any court. The question would be when effectively does a detention become an arrest. Some of the people at Gitmo may have an opinion about that.