Cochran Photo Scandal Documents Released

CANTON, Miss. (AP) – Newly released investigative documents show how people used private Facebook messages last year to hatch a plan to photograph U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran’s ailing wife in a nursing home.

The image of Rose Cochran was used in a video that was posted briefly online to suggest Thad Cochran was having an affair – an allegation the senator’s campaign called untrue.

John Mary of Hattiesburg, using the name John Bert on his Facebook account, said in one message that the video would be “EXPLOSIVE.”

Documents show Mary exchanged dozens of messages with conservative blogger Clayton Kelly of Pearl.

Kelly told police he went into the nursing home and shot a cellphone video of Rose Cochran, then used her image in a video he posted online before the 2014 Republican primary.