Joe the Plumber Sues Over Privacy Violations

Snooping part of pattern of hostility, claims Wurzelbacher
By Gabriel Winant,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 6, 2009 9:12 AM CST
Joe the Plumber Sues Over Privacy Violations
Samuel Wurzelbacher, in the region to report for the conservative US pjtv.com Web site, poses for pictures in a house damaged by rockets fired by Palestinian militants from inside the Gaza Strip.   (AP Photo/Moshe Milner, Government Press Office, handout)

“Joe the Plumber” is suing former Ohio officials for violating his privacy, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Employees of the state’s family services department (since resigned) checked Samuel Wurzelbacher for unpaid child support obligations, after Sen. John McCain elevated him to prominence. “You shouldn't have to regret asking a reasonable question in a public forum of a presidential candidate,” says the head of the group representing Wurzelbacher.

Wurzelbacher says this is just one example of how the campaign caused long-term damage to his reputation. “I can no longer actually work as a plumber,” he told the Washington Post. That's because anything he does—like break a pipe—would become national news. “I've spoken to some of my plumbing buddies in town and no one really wants to touch me right now.”
(More Joe the Plumber stories.)

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