Cajun Watergate

[Nivek]

Remember that white pimp that got everyone riled up on ACORN? Well, now he's worked his way up to G. Gordon Liddy levels of screw up. Hopefully, the Judge throws the book at these chumps, but given their Families and political background, I see more of this being brushed under the rug...

I guess Pimping ain't easy

A conservative activist who made undercover videos of the liberal community-organizing group ACORN was one of four men charged Tuesday with attempting to illegally access and manipulate the phone system in a district office of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

Joseph Basel, 24; Robert Flanagan, 24; James O'Keefe, 25; and Stan Dai, 24, were charged with entering Landrieu's New Orleans office under "false pretenses for the purpose of committing a felony," according to a news release from the local U.S. attorney's office. The office is federal property.

The four posted a $10,000 unsecured bond and were released, said Kathy English of the Department of Justice. According to CNN affiliate WWL, the next court date in the case is set for February 12.

O'Keefe is the same activist who dressed up as a pimp last summer and visited ACORN offices to solicit advice on setting up a brothel, among other scenarios, law enforcement officials confirmed. He secretly recorded the visits on videotapes that were posted on the Internet, leading to a media firestorm.

Flanagan is the son of William Flanagan, the acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, his office said.

Articles on conservative Web sites connect O'Keefe to a man named Joe Basel, describing them as conservative student activists and filmmakers.

"This is a very unusual situation and somewhat unsettling for me and my staff," Landrieu said in a statement Tuesday night. "The individuals responsible have been charged with entering federal property under false pretenses for the purposes of committing a felony. I am as interested as everyone else about their motives and purpose, which I hope will become clear as the investigation moves forward."

Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Michael McHale, in a separate statement, called the case a "Louisiana Watergate."

 

[kytrigger]

haha....for some reason I just picture Landrieu walking into her office and catching him hanging from wires like in Mission Impossible.

 

[Nivek]

This should be getting more play in the press, but of course, it's already being buried today. Now, if it was some black or minority young democrats from poor families breaking into a G.O.P. office to bug phones/ hack computers, that would be a different story.

 

[Trigger]

This story made me laugh. I really hope that the cable news channels stick with this story a little longer. I want to know what this guy was after.

 

[Nivek]

I don't want it ignored because this kid was obviously trying to steal something. Like I said above, if the roles were reversed, the G.O.P. would be LIVID.

 

[Trigger]

Livid and they would be on FOX News somehow trying to tie this to President Obama.

 

[BlackLantern]

this does not help the cause at all

 

[StorminNorman]

I can't help but laugh at those that try to make the case for the media covering up for Republicans.

The reason this isn't getting as much press play is because Obama is more important and the whole "State of the Union" thing is going on.

 

[Nivek]

Well, I guess the Dem's more (weak kneed) passive stance is increasingly frustrating to me, I really wish they would be as loud mouthed as the right when they are wronged. But given who these guys are, it is pretty disheartening to me.

 

[StorminNorman]

The Democrats aren't really, in any way, wronged here. This scandal will only help them. Like the original Watergate, what makes this go from "dirty politics" to "stupid" is the fact it's completely unnecessary.

 

[Superman]

Wow, Another Neo-Con who thinks they can break the law to get what they want, What a surprise.

I'd like to hear what the Republicans of the House, Who wanted to give this guy a medal and thought he was some kind of hero for going after Acorn, Think of their hero now.

MSNBC is keeping an eye on this story, I've seen them talk about it a couple of times this morning.

 

[Nivek]

I'm waiting for someone to use the "Investigative Journalism" deal as an out. i can hear it already...

"He was trying to find some damning evidence on a story he was working on."

Like the original Watergate, what makes this go from "dirty politics" to "stupid" is the fact it's completely unnecessary.

Dirty Politics? They clearly committed a felony, it goes a bit beyond the usual.

We just need to know how high up the okay for this went.

 

[VampElvis]

Not the first time this guy's been involved in questionable behavior. (Recall his actions in CA some time ago.) What really makes this play is that some on the right are too quick to lionize people these days without properly vetting them (Carrie Prejean anyone?) and that inevitably leads to fail.

I guess the left will be most upset because it spoils who will be tonight's "worst person in the world". Or will he save that particular award for Bob McDonnel for daring, daring I say, to rebut tonight's state of the union? Kool-Aid drinking lefties want to know!

 

[BlackLantern]

probably not as high as people want to think....I think he did it because he thought he could get away with it, then take whatever info and he'd be a hero for the right...the guy who took down ACORN..bla bla bla

 

[Nivek]

Wow, you guys really don't like this story, you keep steering it away from the topic at hand with comments about the President.

 

[BlackLantern]

the topic is a person broke into an office (which is a crime) and attempted to tap phones and get information (a crime as well)

he did something wrong and should be punished

 

[Nivek]

probably not as high as people want to think....I think he did it because he thought he could get away with it, then take whatever info and he'd be a hero for the right...the guy who took down ACORN..bla bla bla

Well, my issue is that these kids are pretty knee deep in political circles given their connections, the one guy even did speaking arrangements for the C.I.A. and was former Department of Defense employee. This sounds increasingly strange to me, the more information comes out.

Oh, and how flaunted was this kid till this arrest?

Salt Lake County GOP cancels keynote address after New Orleans arrest Party's big annual fundraiser will find new featured speaker instead of O'Keefe.

 

[BlackLantern]

if it came from on high, you'd think they would hire someone who hasn't been involved in quite a public scuffle with ACORN...the guy dressed LIKE A PIMP...really, would you trust this guy with a spork, much less a grand plan to break into offices and tap phones or whatever??

 

[VampElvis]

Agreed - but I'll make a side remark not dealing with the President. Could you make that any harder to read, Nivek? I had to highlight it so I could see the yellow text.

 

[Superman]

Agreed - but I'll make a side remark not dealing with the President. Could you make that any harder to read, Nivek? I had to highlight it so I could see the yellow text.

Yeah, I didn't even try to read it, That yellow just hurts the eyes.

 

[Nivek]

Made it red for you guys...

Some other info that concerns me...

The fourth suspect, Robert Flanagan, 24, was released earlier Tuesday. His father, Bill, is the acting U.S. Attorney based in Shreveport. He was first assistant under Republican President George W. Bush appointee Donald Washington before Washington stepped down this month. President Barack Obama recently nominated Stephanie A. Finley for the post. His father's office declined to comment.

All four suspects were charged with entering federal property under false pretenses for the purpose of committing a felony, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Flanagan is the only suspect from Louisiana. Basel is from Minnesota; O'Keefe, New Jersey; and Dai, the D.C.-Virginia area.

"It was poor judgment," Flanagan's lawyer, Garrison Jordan, said in a brief interview outside the courtroom. "I don't think there was any intent or motive to commit a crime."

Flanagan recently criticized Landrieu for her vote on the Senate health care bill after securing a Medicaid provision estimated in value at up to $365 million for Louisiana. Conservatives accused her of selling her vote but she insisted no "special deals" were made.

"Do not be fooled into believing Landrieu is helping the state of Louisiana," Flanagan wrote in a Nov. 25 post on the Web site for the Pelican Institute, a Louisiana think tank that promotes the free market and limited government. "If the proposed healthcare legislation were to be signed into law, the $300 million allocated to Louisiana will pale in comparison to the long-term debt Louisiana citizens will ultimately shoulder."

Dai, who authorities said was arrested outside the building, is a former assistant director of a program at Trinity Washington University that taught students about careers in intelligence, university president Patricia McGuire said.

The program was part of a national effort following the Sept. 11 attacks to interest students at liberal arts colleges in careers as spies. McGuire said Dai was an administrator and that the program did not teach spy craft. He was also active in the conservative newspaper and other organizations at George Washington University.

Yeah, they did this on their own with help from some Spy-scout, and the one kids lawyers say they don't believe a crime was commited?

 

[BlackLantern]

riiiiiight in an office that you don't work in messing with phones and stuff...common sense would usually kick in that something wrong is being done here

 

[Superman]

"It was poor judgment," Flanagan's lawyer, Garrison Jordan, said in a brief interview outside the courtroom. "I don't think there was any intent or motive to commit a crime."

My butt, They knew exactly what they was doing and that it was against the law, They just didn't care as long as they got what they wanted.

 

[Nivek]

Wow, this kid is a little Schemer!

ACORN "pimp" James O'Keefe's prior attacks on Planned Parenthood

I wanted to highlight this other piece of James O'Keefe's life prior to becoming (in)famous for pretending to be a pimp to catch ACORN employees on camera advising him to do bad things. First, if you haven't read RfrancisR's diary, do it now.

So we know about how he founded a conservative paper at Rutgers. But after graduation, he came here to do a stint at the UCLA Law School. And here at UCLA, he teamed up with freshman Lila Rose. You remember her, right? The girl who pretended to be 13 years old and recorded Planned Parenthood employees with a hidden camera, trying to get them to tell her to lie about her age to get an abo rtion? Does that tactic sound familiar?

Because when her story made the news, everyone focused on her. She went on O'Reilly and Hannity and Beck several times. Instant Fox News celebrity. But buried in the article was the name of the guy who helped her out. James O'Keefe

Daily Kos link

 

[Kelly]

Wow, you guys really don't like this story, you keep steering it away from the topic at hand with comments about the President.

Are you being sarcastic, or are you reading the wrong thread...this is the only post I've seen about the President...

Livid and they would be on FOX News somehow trying to tie this to President Obama.