Gladney Continues to Profit from the Tea Party

Since, as is being reported, the first hearings on the August 6 town hall arrests have started (though the Gladney case apparently isn't scheduled to start until April), it's interesting to note that Kenneth Gladney has been making money from the tea party starting within two days of the event and continuing to the present.  

Two days after the event, the St. Louis Tea Party held a rally where Republican Bill Hennessy asked for donations to pay for Gladney since he didn't have insurance.  After the irony of this claim was pointed out (since they hate the idea of reforming the health care system to cover more people), the tea party quickly announced that Gladney actually was covered by his wife's insurance, and Gladney's lawyer at that time David Brown famously said, "Well, who doesn't need a donation?"  The tea party, of course, then blamed "libruls" and "the media" for the idea that Gladney wasn't insured.

Since then, Gladney has sold his flags at events around St. Louis and on a national tour with the Tea Party Express. And even now, members of the St. Louis Tea Party are collecting donations for both Kenneth Gladney and his brother Keith.

I point this out because in my mind Gladney's testimony is clouded by the fact that he has had a financial incentive to tell a story consistent with the tea party narrative nearly from day one.