Blogger Clayton Thomas Kelly Arrested After Sneaking into GOP Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran’s Wife Rose Cochran’s Nursing Home Room

Bring gutter politics to a new low …

28 year old Clayton Thomas Kelly of Pearl, Mississippi was arrested on Friday night on a charge of exploitation of a vulnerable adult after he sneaked into the nursing home room of current Republican Mississippi US Senator Thad Cochran’s wife, Rose Cochran, to photograph her and then posting the image in a video.  He is being held on a $100,000 bond. Kelly, is a political blogger, who operates a “Constitutional Clayton” blog, a Youtube channel and other social media. Kelly has posted numerous pieces in support of  Chris McDaniel and opposition to Cochran. He also appears to have interviewed McDaniel on video at least once. What kind of a sick SOB does something like this? One can dislike a political candidate all you want and support an opposition candidate against the establishment, but what that has to do with violating the privacy of an elderly spouse who is in a nursing home bed ridden and suffering from progressive dementia is beyond me.

Left to Right: Clayton Thomas Kelly & Chris McDaniel, pic from blog: ‘I met MS Senator Chris McDaniel’

A Pearl man who runs a political blog is accused of sneaking into a nursing home where U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran’s wife is bedridden and photographing her, then posting the image in a video political “hit piece” on the internet.

Madison Police arrested Clayton Thomas Kelly, 28, of Pearl on Friday night on a charge of exploitation of a vulnerable adult. He’s being held on a $100,000 bond.

Kelly is accused of sneaking into St. Catherine’s Village in Madison, where Rose Cochran has resided since 2000, suffering from progressive dementia and now bedridden.

UPDATE I: The Cochran campaign is now questioning when, exactly, McDaniel campaign manager Melanie Sojourner learned about the nursing home break-in.

The Cochran campaign is now questioning when, exactly, McDaniel campaign manager Melanie Sojourner learned about the nursing home break-in, implying that it was before news of Kelly’s arrest became public and attempting to tie his actions back to the state senator’s campaign operation. McDaniel’s coalition director told the Clarion-Ledger that he was aware of Kelly’s video, which featured the illegally obtained photograph of Rose Cochran, before Kelly’s arrest, but a campaign spokesman and McDaniel himself reiterated that Kelly had no ties to the campaign itself.

UPDATE II: McDaniel also distanced himself from Kelly’s actions in a statement issued on Saturday.

“I’ve reached out to Senator Cochran directly to express my abhorrence for the reprehensible actions of this individual,” reads the statement.

“This criminal act is deeply offensive and my team and I categorically reject such appalling behavior. My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Cochran and his family,” McDaniel said. “Politics is about the exchange of ideas and this type of action has no place in politics whatsoever and will not be tolerated.”