Rand Paul tweets speech he ‘would have delivered’

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Monday tweeted out the text of the speech he was going to give at Monday’s March for Life rally had it not been for his high-profile run-in with the Transportation Security Administration.

“The speech I would have delivered at the March for Life rally yesterday, if I had not been detained by the #TSA,” Paul tweeted.

On Monday, Paul was stopped at Nashville International Airport after setting off an X-ray machine alarm. Paul refused a pat-down, booked a later flight and went through the machine a second time with no trouble.

The TSA denied detaining the senator, saying in a statement that he was merely escorted out of the security area.

“When an irregularity is found during the TSA screening process, it must be resolved prior to allowing a passenger to proceed to the secure area of the airport," the agency said. "Passengers who refuse to complete the screening process cannot be granted access to the secure area in order to ensure the safety of others traveling.”

Paul opposes abortion rights, and was set to speak at the anti-abortion-rights rally in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

“It is the government's duty to protect life, liberty, and property, but primarily and most importantly, a government must protect life,” Paul would have said in his speech. “Today, tragically our nation wavers; our moral compass is adrift.”

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