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Anti-ACORN Activist Arrested in Alleged Bugging of Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s Office
Jan 26th, 2010 | 30 responses
Is the bar about to be lowered again on what is acceptable research, journalism and opinion-based film? The news that a famous anti-ACORN conservative activist popular with Fox News and conservative websites was arrested while allegedly trying to bug Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office takes these issues to a higher — or lower — level.
It’ll be interested to see how this one plays out and how, in the end, the modus operendi emerges: will this be viewed as acceptable? Will those who agree with the activists fall into line and defend him? Or will this kind of activity — something that would get journalists working for the bulk news organizations fired — be now viewed as acceptable. If so, watch out now for the left and right activists who feel bugging is OK in the name of their ideological cause. And you thought politics was getting uglier, more personal and more brutal before?
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.
An official close to the investigation said one of the four was arrested in a car blocks from the senator’s offices with a listening device. He spoke on condition of anonymity because that information was not included in official arresting documents.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.After being asked, the staffer gave Basel access to the main phone at the reception desk. The staffer told investigators that Basel manipulated the handset. He also tried to call the main office phone using his cell phone, and said the main line wasn’t working. Flanagan did the same.
They then 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.
Have they watched too many episodes of The Sopranos? Or is this the way it’s now going to be in increasingly polarized American, where each side often assumes the worst thing about the other?
There used to be “GOTCHA” journalism.
Welcome to the era of “BUGYA” journalism.
Here are a few other responses representing different viewpoints:
Fox News has been one of the biggest supporters of James O’Keefe, who is infamous for dressing up as a pimp and videotaping ACORN staffers offering to help the supposed pimp and his prostitutes secure funding for a brothel. The network constantly replayed coverage from his operation. In September, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace named O’Keefe his “Power Player of the Week,” calling him an “undercover reporter” and a “fascinating character.”
Yesterday, the FBI arrested O’Keefe and three others — “charged with entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony” — saying that they were plotting to wiretap Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office (D-LA). One of the other men, Robert Flanagan, is the son of William Flanagan, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. Two of the men “dressed as telephone company employees” and showed up to Landrieu’s New Orleans office, saying they had to “fix phone problems.” O’Keefe was already there and was “positioning his cell phone in his hand to videotape the operation”…
…Fox News aired a report about the arrests shortly after the news broke. However, reporter Tim Vaughn tried to downplay the news.
They are, of course, presumed innocent until proven guilty.
But for now, let it be a lesson to aspiring young conservatives interested in investigative journalism:
Know your limits. Know the law. Don’t get carried away. And don’t become what you are targeting.
–Crooks and Liars has two writers commenting on it:
Well, looky here! Can’t wait to hear how he tries to talk his way out of this one – and of course, his arrest will be prominently featured on every media outlet that cooperated in his ACORN smear…
AND:
Dave N.: Hmmm. Wonder how Andrew Breitbart and Glenn Beck — who have relied heavily on O’Keefe’s work to smear ACORN — will respond. One can only imagine the cries of persecution that will be erupting shortly.
One can’t help but be impressed by O’Keefe’s investigative-journalism technique. If only the rest of us poor schlubs had realized something O’Keefe obviously learned the first time around: You can get away with breaking the law if you can get it up on Fox News first.
–skippy (who writes in lower case):
we’ve always suspected that all we really need to do to discredit the hardly-ever-right wing is just leave them alone; sooner or later they will show themselves to be the raving lunatic fools that they are.
case in point: head acorn “investigator” james o’keefe, the man who made the youtube films showing under-trained employees getting tricked by stereotypes that would have embarrassed the writers of laugh-in, has been arrested on incredibly serious federal charges. n’awlins times-picayune:
In September, Rep. Michele Bachmann hailed as “brilliant” James O’Keefe, who with Hannah Giles orchestrated a sting operation at a Philadelphia ACORN office, posing as a pimp and a prostitute. Today, it appears that may have been an overestimation. Days after the duo was named in a federal lawsuit for the ACORN sting, O’Keefe was arrested by the FBI along with three others, allegedly for trying to wiretap the New Orleans office of Sen. Mary Landrieu.
Back in September, Bachmann praised O’Keefe and Giles at the How To Take Back America conference for their undercover expose of a Philadelphia ACORN office, in which they posed as a pimp and prostitute seeking advice from the anti-poverty group: “Hannah and James used Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals’ — that’s the community organizer’s bible — against ACORN! Brilliant!”
Citing an “ongoing investigation,” Landrieu’s office declined to comment.
Meanwhile, conservative bloggers reacted with dismay Tuesday.
Uh. That’s illegal. Just ask Nixon.
If this is all true, pretty dumb move…
--And So It Goes In Shreveport:
I’m curious why O’Keefe and friends thought it would be a good idea to tamper with a Senator’s telephone. Even the most rudimentary among us knows that is a felony. What in the world could have been worth the risk. I don’t want to speculate too much until more is known, but it does boggle the mind.
Allahpundit has the legal aspect here, in which he points out that O’Keefe and his buddies could be looking at ten years. Yikes!
Given that O’Keefe is already looking at lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Maryland over the ACORN sting, I can’t believe he thought this would be a good idea.
The rightwing nut who did all those undercover videos of ACORN got busted trying to tap Mary Landrieu’s phones.
Heh. I can only hope the judge does a John Sirica, ie throws the book at him, and finds out exactly who’s been putting him up to this….
–The Village Voice’s Runnin’ Scared:
Rightbloggers are taking it slow with the one….Leftbloggers are more inclined toward what Ta-Nehisi Coates calls “your flagon of schadenfreude.”
Breitbart, who had run O’Keefe’s ACORN sting videos and later hired him into his media empire, says he doesn’t know anything about it besides what he’s read about it in the corrupt mainstream media.
UPDATE: Reports indicate the suspects have been released. Here’s the AP’s video (via You Tube) on the story:
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30 Responses to “Anti-ACORN Activist Arrested in Alleged Bugging of Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s Office”
Pretty restrained comment from Malkin. I would have expected her to be hailing O'Keefe and crew as heros… not that others (in what passes for reasoned analysis among that ilk) won't do so.
IF the explanation in the original report is correct and he was trying to tap a phone, he made a disgracefully stupid error and should pay the price for it. Condemned without reservation.
This in no way negates his courageous expose of the moral corruption being routinely perpetrated by ACORN, nor the disgraceful means by which the Holder Justice Department found them a loophole to continue receiving Federal funds. Nor the ongoing lack of action by the Feds toward this taxpayer supported cesspool.
Did you cut Rather that sort of slack?
If true then it's completely unacceptable and there's no way to spin it.
There's no need to rush to judgment yet, but this is potentially a much bigger story than just an excuse for leftists to gloat over trouble for someone who has exposed some of ACORN's numerous problems and defects. (At least nobody on here says they “should” assist with the Census now!) ACORN is a cancer. As a rule, only the diseased far-left fringe defends it.
What's the bigger story? Again, no rush to assume anything, or pre-judge this (so don't rush, again, lefties, to do or say anything bad or wrong in SOP fashion). But doesn't this remind you of Watergate? (It already has reminded some people of it.)
Why spend any time on a demented defense of ACORN when the real story is why they would be playing with Landrieu's telephones?
“This in no way negates his courageous expose of the moral corruption being routinely perpetrated by ACORN, nor the disgraceful means by which the Holder Justice Department found them a loophole to continue receiving Federal funds. Nor the ongoing lack of action by the Feds toward this taxpayer supported cesspool.”
It's too much to expect the right things to be done here — why would the Demmies disrespect and dis-reward their fine friends? — though the rush by some lefties to exult and use this as an excuse to defend ACORN is also disgraceful and disgusting, of course. Pathological and perverse, even.
Ya wanna bet? You ever heard of this guy, DLS?
Yah, I know, I'm feeding the troll. My bad…
What sort of slack? If Okeefe is guilty, throw the book at him. What more do you want? They are two separate events.
The fact that Rather was caught telling lies on television to try and influence the outcome of an election doesn't change the fact that he was a biased and overpaid journalist. But that's not the topic at hand.
If I'm not mistaken, that is a fine example of what you yourself have referred to in the past as “mirror talk”. You go boy!!!
If this was an actual attempt to wiretap a Senator, the four should be charged with criminal stupidity. You don't go yourself to wiretap: you wait until nightfall and then send in Cubans to do it for you. Didn't they learn anything from Hunt/Liddy?
If this was an attempt to 'punk' a Senator, the four should STILL be charged with criminal stupidity. You simply do NOT pull a prank on a Senator that can crush you like a bug afterward. Not to mention the fact the Dept. of Justice, the FBI, the NSA and the CIA don't tend to have a sense of humor about that sort of thing (nor you meddling in *their* wiretapping jobs. SHEESH).
To the credit of Conservatives, I have yet to see—and hopefully will not see—the rationalization that the ends (trashing Democrats) justify the means (breaking the law)
You are mistaken, J-Spence, as you often are. “Progressive” always was a misnomer…
Blagojevich has got be green with envy.
[...] Anti-Acorn Activist Arrested in Alleged Bugging of Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s Office (themoderatevoice.com) [...]
as always, thanks for the link, joe!
and remember, kids…it's hard out here for a pimp!
If guilty then throw the book at em. Period.
Yeah it's the Heritage Foundation monsters. The same people whom, in the future, will perpetrate coups and committee political assassinations on our elected government.
“The more bold you are, the more opportunities will be open to you. The less bold you are, the less opportunities in life will be open to you.” -.- O'Keefe
“Opportunities,” such as a federal prison, if convicted?
I'm thinking if you read the actual complaint you'd see that he wasn't “arrested by the U.S. Marshal’s Service for allegedly attempting to bug the offices of U..S. Senator Mary Landrieu”.
Reading the FBI affidavit it looks like the accusation is an attempt to “tamper” or “interfere with” the phones.]
But of course the facts shouldn't stop anyone from “making it up as they go along.
Now,that makes me feel much better…
Makes no difference. Its a Federal Crime. As we learn more, I suspect that treason will also be charged.
In any case, there are some really big black dudes “wanting” for pimp boy in the slammer.
Can you say size eleven rectum? Steve Can.
To the credit of Conservatives, I have yet to see—and hopefully will not see—the rationalization that the ends (trashing Democrats) justify the means (breaking the law)
Go to the Free Republic. You will find it.
Inappropriate, FT.
Without knowing all the facts or this bizarre story, the only thing I can say is, what the hell were they thinking? This was nothing more than a district office of Sen. Landrieu. This is the oddball story of the week.
Glad it helped!
Guess he must be guilty ehh?
But it does take some people's attention away from what's really going on….
Washington Post Issues Correction Regarding Misreported O'Keefe Charges
Correction to This Article
Earlier versions of this story incorrectly reported that James O'Keefe faced charges in an alleged plot to bug the office of Sen. Mary Landrieu. The charges were related to an alleged plot to tamper with a phone system. The headline incorrectly referred to a plot to bug the phone and a caption incorrectly referred to an alleged wiretap scheme.
TREASON . . . . .Bwahahahahahahahaaa
thanks Zzzz
took care of it. please email us if you see anything like it again.
dr.e
When this guy tried to expose A C O R N for crimes ,,,, NO ONE WAS ARRESTED,,,, NO ONE WAS CHARGED WITH ANY CRIME,,, NO CHARGES WERE FILED AGAINST ANYONE,,,,,NO ONE WAS ARRESTED,,,AND NO ONE,,,WENT TO JAIL……..,
now the tables have turned and HE HAS BEEN ARRESTED,,, HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH A CRIME AND HE IS THE ONE WHO is looking as some SERIOUS FEDERAL FELONY'S,,