According to the Clarion Ledger, Tea Party Vice Chairman Mark Mayfield and local P.E. teacher Richard Sager have been arrested Thursday in connection with the case of the blogger and Chris-McDaniel-supporter who gained access to?a nursing home where Senator Thad Cochran’s wife is living?and photographed her. The blogger’s motivation was to take a photo and video of her to use in an attack against the six-term Republican senator. A third man, John Mary, has also been charged with conspiracy in the case but not arrested yet.?
Attorney Mark Mayfield is?a vice chairman of the Mississippi Tea Party and an officer with the Central Mississippi Tea Party. If the Central Mississippi Tea Party sounds familiar to you, they are best known for their president, Janis Lane, who in 2012 said women shouldn’t be allowed to vote. In that very same story, Mayfield’s first attack is against Thad Cochran. Mayfield appeared in court today facing one charge of conspiracy and was give a $250,ooo bond.
Richard Sanger, an elementary school?P.E. teacher?in Laurel, Miss. and the assistant boys soccer coach for the high school, appeared in court today on?one charge of conspiracy and one charge of tampering with evidence. His bond was set at $250,000 per charge.
All this just adds to the questions about what the campaign of Tea Party darling Chris McDaniel knew about this low down plot to exploit Mrs. Cochran, and when.
Clayton Kelly, the man who took the photos, also appeared in court today for a preliminary hearing. His original charge of?exploiting a vulnerable adult has now been changed to conspiracy. ?According to live tweets by an editor at the Clarion Ledger, Kelly’s lawyer asserted that he never met Mayfield or Sager until today.?
Camp says Kelly never met or heard of Mayfield or Sager before court today.
? Geoffrey Pender (@GeoffPender) May 22, 2014
Chris McDaniel issued this statement today
“As we have said since day one, the violation of the privacy of Mrs. Cochran is out of bounds for politics and is reprehensible. Any individuals who were involved in this crime should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
That may be true. However, when his campaign is basically driven by making people afraid and telling them that if he doesn’t win there will be dire consequences, I don’t see how he can be surprised when people go to extreme lengths to help him.
Edited by D.H.
