A few weeks ago, Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin acknowledged that he'd been arrested at an anti-abortion protest many years ago, and promised he'd release the details of his arrest soon. A week later, Akin staffers said the candidate had changed his mind: no details would be forthcoming.
So, what's the story? The St. Louis Post-Dispatchdug a little deeper, and uncovered a detail I hadn't expected.
Congressman Todd Akin was arrested at least three times in the 1980s during anti-abortion protests, not just the one time he has publicly acknowledged.
Akin's previously undisclosed arrests, in 1985, were for criminal trespass and resisting arrest at abortion clinic protests in St. Louis and Illinois.
And why haven't we heard about this sooner? That's the interesting part -- when Akin was arrested three times, he used his given name, William Akin. It's why folks couldn't find anything when they looked up arrest records for "Todd Akin."
Soon after his arrests, Akin began using his middle name as he entered politics.
What's more, as People for the American Way's Michael Keegan told the Post-Dispatch, "These were not non-violent protests. These were aggressive, physical efforts to shut down clinics.... What's remarkable is how long Todd Akin has been able to hide these incidents."
