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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?
Politicians should all have their phones tapped and be under 24/7. Their actions are in the service to TEH PEOPLE!
I guess it all depends if the device they were attaching to the phone system was a real electronic surveillance device or was just a prop for their little video. The final outcome of this little stunt depends on that and which political party appointed the prosecutors that will be handling this, I’d say. I wonder if O’Keefe thought this brilliant move up by himself or if he had outside direction. Now, that could get entertaining!
Just ten years? How about the chair? Strap ‘em in and make ‘em watch bad movies. And then, in respect to the esteemed Kangarooster, some bad TV, though I rather think that Rockford was among the better of that genre. No, I think the perps would get attenuated before they’d ever get to see Rockford.
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1. I don’t actually know what the heck they were up to. That will be made clear later.
2. Whatever it was it was ill advised.
3. They are in deep bleep.
#23 You do know “The Rockford Files” is on the NRA’s (and thus GOP) sh*t list. That damn commie Rockford saying he doesn’t like guns and all. Yep, its right up there with Lynyrd Skynyrd because of their song “Saturday Night Special”. Damn liberal commie left-wing Hollywood commie SOBs.
None of the “stung” Acorn employees committed any crimes.
The heroic conservatives who went after them are actual criminals committing actual crimes.
I wonder who Fox News will root for…?
W-A-T-E-R-G-A-T-E.
Same apologies, same apologists, same political party.
Hang ‘em high!
#27 – you mean the same Fox Network that wouldn’t carry the Haiti Telethon?
James O’Keefe:
“O’Keefe describes himself as a “progressive radical” who follows Saul Alinsky, while most media outlets label him a conservative.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_O'Keefe
Saul Alinsky: “He is generally considered to be the founder of modern community organizing and has been compared to Thomas Paine as “one of the great American leaders of the nonsocialist left.”
“Hillary Clinton’s senior honors thesis on Saul Alinsky, written at Wellesley College, noted that Alinsky’s personal efforts were a large part of his method.
“Several prominent national leaders have been influenced by Alinsky’s teachings, including Barack Obama, Ed Chambers, Tom Gaudette, Michael Gecan, Wade Rathke, and Patrick Crowley.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Alinsky
Hmmmm…. Whatever happened to that charming elderly couple who just happened to have equipment in their car that just happened to intercept a cell phone conversation by Newt Gingrich who they just happened to be trailing?
I don’t recall that they were ever charged with anything….
But, of course, they had good intentions.
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!!