Jesse Ventura sues TSA for sexual assault

In a complaint filed Monday morning in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota, Ventura is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its secretary, Janet Napolitano, as well as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and its administrator, John Pistole.

Ventura accuses the agencies of violating his “basic rights to privacy and dignity, and his right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures,” after he received a pat-down by a TSA agent at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in November 2010.

Ventura alleges the pat-down included “warrantless, non-suspicion-based offensive touching, gripping and rubbing of the genital and other sensitive areas of his body,” which, the lawsuit contends, met “the definition for an unlawful sexual assault.”

Ventura’s attorney, David Olsen said Ventura will no longer fly on commercial aviation, putting his job as host of cable television’s ‘Conspiracy Theory’ show, in jeopardy.

“He sees the erosion of civil liberties here and he’s willing to stand up not only for himself, but for others,” said Olsen.