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Alleging a plot to tamper with phones in Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office in the Hale Boggs Federal Building in downtown New Orleans, the FBI arrested four people Monday, including James O’Keefe, 25, a conservative filmmaker whose undercover videos at ACORN field offices severely damaged the advocacy group’s credibility.
Also arrested were Joseph Basel, Stan Dai and Robert Flanagan, all 24. Flanagan is the son of William Flanagan, who is the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, the office confirmed. All four were charged with entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony.
According to the FBI affidavit, Flanagan and Basel entered the federal building at 500 Poydras Street about 11 a.m. Monday, dressed as telephone company employees, wearing jeans, fluorescent green vests, tool belts, and hard hats. When they arrived at Landrieu’s 10th floor office, O’Keefe was already in the office and had told a staffer he was waiting for someone to arrive.
When Flanagan and Basel entered the office, they told the staffer they were there to fix phone problems. At that time, the staffer, referred to only as Witness 1 in the affadavit, observed O’Keefe positioning his cell phone in his hand to videotape the operation. O’Keefe later admitted to agents that he recorded the event.
They…told the staffer they needed to perform repair work on the main phone system and asked where the telephone closet was located.
The staffer showed the men to the main General Services Administration office on the 10th floor, and Flanagan and Basel went in. There, a GSA employee asked for the men’s credentials, after which they stated they left them in their vehicle.
The U.S. Marshal’s Service apprehended all four men shortly thereafter.
They’re up for a fine of $250,000 and up to 10 years in prison – each – if convicted. Wanna bet?
It took 28 posts before someone brought up Watergate. These men are too young to know the impact and ramifications Watergate had on American politics.
Since they were caught red handed, I hope they have good lawyers. And no, undercover is not a defense.
I don’t trust guys this skinny.
How long will it take the Salt Lake City Republicans to find a replacement keynote speaker:
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14274989
#31 – “I don’t recall” is great research. Form all your opinions on law and order that way?
When Republicans are programmed to believe that non-Republicans are evil, this is the inevitable result. I’m sure they think of themselves as heroic, trying to stop the evil evil “Demoncrats”.
Oh, boy! Hale Boggs Gate!
The fools. All they had to do for their expose was pretend they were journalists from Kazakhstan and have everyone sign a release. That’s proven to be ok.
RBG
Perhaps they were trying to intercept her Pizza orders and reroute them to their own shop.
She looks like missing a meal would really upset her!!
Someone tries to bug a Democratic senator’s office and you make jokes about her weight.
Stay classy, wingnuts.
Death penalty.
Maybe that will send a message to republican thugs again illegally trespassing and attempted terrorism.
I wonder what part of FEDERAL CRIME they didn’t understand.
Eideard: I would sincerely love to know why my comment (#11) was a violation. I don’t believe it was. I did chide you a little bit for a false and misleading headline. Is that a violation? If I inadvertently said something inappropriate, I would like to make sure I don’t do it again. Would you do me the courtesy of a brief explanation? You have my email address. Thank you.
I am sure that the only punishment they will receive is a fine and a “keep up the good work” pat on the back for the “bad judgement” and “only a prank” federal crime.
# 2 Ah_Yea, WTF are you talking about? ACORN had nothing to do with this — this took place in the office of a duly elected member of the United States Senate.
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# 5 dusanmal:
“@#4 Different as it is done to expose wrong doing, not steal. Moral and practical equivalent of journalists who broke the truth about Watergate, not of the people who were doing Watergate.”
The difference is the journalists who broke the truth about Watergate did not break into the Democratic Party offices and steal documents and tap phones; they did not dress as phone company workers and lie about it to the staff of a United States senator; they did what real journalists do: they talked to people and openly (“I’m a reporter.”) asked them questions. I’m sure all the Communist spies the KGB and other agencies of the U.S.S.R. had in the U.S. were quite convinced they were fighting evil…
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This will not be dismissed as a “prank.” The Justice Department will not wink at any kind of attack (except political, protected by the First Amendment) on a U.S. Senator.
These assholes and the people who keep encouraging them finally went too far. Their kind of sleazy entrapment “journalism” is built on sleazy lies and is all tainted as a result. I feel like I want to go wash now, just having read about O’Keefe’s “pranks” on Planned Parenthood. How many families were burdened with more unwanted children because of the grants he cost them? How many more abortions were performed because people couldn’t get access to affordable contraception?
BTW, the link above is malformed. Correct link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_O%27Keefe
So if they were trying to wiretap, why is he recording it? He was probably up to something else. If he was tapping, then his expose video would just roll the tape, not show the people who committed the crime.
O’Keefe is also being sued in Baltimore and Philadelphia for violating electronic surveillance laws.
Hopefully he will end up in Federal “pound me in the ass” prison.
Skinny pale white boys are in demand by the longtime residents.