DOJ: Tenn. senator's chief of staff arrested for child porn

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Jesse Ryan Loskarn, chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on probable cause of possession and distribution of child pornography charges, Peter Carr, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, confirmed to CBS News.

Loskarn, 35, who is the chief of staff in Alexander’s Washington, D.C., office, was arrested by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. He remains in custody pending a court hearing that is expected to be scheduled for tomorrow at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., Carr said.

Alexander replaced his chief of staff after learning Loskarn's home was being searched as part of a child pornography investigation.

The Tennessee Republican said he was “stunned, surprised and disappointed” by the news of the search. He said his office was fully cooperating with the investigation.

Alexander, a former Tennessee governor who has also served as the U.S. Secretary of Education said in a statement Wednesday that it'll be up to the courts to judge Loskarn, but "under these circumstances, he cannot continue to fulfill his duties as chief of staff."

Alexander named his legislative director, David Cleary, as his new chief of staff.