ACORN

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Nah... to me it's like a cop coming in without a warrant and finding piles of drugs and guns.

It's more like a cop trying to find someone willing to buy drugs from him.

[classicman]

like a sting operation with cops posing as drug buyers/sellers or posing as prostitutes? Like the stuff you see everyday on TV? You mean that kind of stuff HM?

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

It's more like a cop trying to find someone willing to buy drugs from him.

Except that's legal.

[Happy Monkey]

Sometimes it's legal, unless it's entrapment. (and yes, drugs are probably a bad example, being so common that it would be hard to go with "unlikely to commit")

This guy didn't uncover any existing crime, he created a bizarre situation that was handled badly in some cases. Exactly how badly may never be known, unless the Baltimore case brings the original tapes (if they even still exist) out.

[glatt]

"Bitch set me up."

[classicman]

Sure she did Mayor, We'll ellect you again - no worries...

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

...This guy didn't uncover any existing crime, he created a bizarre situation that was handled badly in some cases. Exactly how badly may never be known, unless the Baltimore case brings the original tapes (if they even still exist) out.

A case in Philly should also be interesting. The ACORN worker who was videotaped filed a civil suit against O'Keefe last week (before this latest fiasco).

PA law prohibits videotaping a conversation if the person being videotaped doesn't know about it, and has a "reasonable expectation" of privacy.

Not a big fan of "emotional distress" type lawsuits, but good for her and I hope she is awarded some compensatory and punitive damages, even if only symbolic.

The civil suit in Baltimore is still pending with the same premise under MD state law.

All in all, the guy is in deep shit and faces some big legal bills for his questionable "investigate reporting" techniques.

[classicman]

I'm even less a fan of them. That's like saying two guys doing a drug deal are videotaped - one could assume that they both would have a "reasonable expectation" of privacy. That makes no sense.

Yeh these kids are in serious trouble and whoever is backing them is gonna try and disappear. The next phase of this will be when one of them makes adeal and outs whoever that is/was. This story is only beginning, I think.

[classicman]

NEW ORLEANS – Four conservative activists accused of trying to tamper with a senator's phones were just trying to record embarrassing undercover video of her staff ignoring phone calls from constituents angry that she supported health care reform, one of their attorneys said Thurday.

"You're dealing with kids," he said. "I don't think they thought it through that far."

Instead, Jordan said, they hoped to get embarrassing video footage of Landrieu's staff handling constituent calls. Her office received complaints last month that callers opposed to her health care stance couldn't get through.

Landrieu was not impressed with Jordan's explanation.

"Attorneys are hired to spin for their clients," she said Thursday in an interview in Washington. "Good luck."

Link
They'll need it. This move was beyond stupid.

O'Keefe has declined to discuss what he and the others were doing in Landrieu's office. But late Wednesday he told his Twitter followers that the government "concedes no attempt to wiretap."

Thats interesting.

[richlevy]

Instead, Jordan said, they hoped to get embarrassing video footage of Landrieu's staff handling constituent calls. Her office received complaints last month that callers opposed to her health care stance couldn't get through.

They make it sound like her office has some kind of caller ID that tells them if the caller is for or against health care reform.

If you have the usual suspects whipping up the dittos, or whatever, and they call by the hundreds, of course an office is going to be overwhelmed.

The funniest thing was that Rachel Maddow brought in Allen Raymond, the Republican operative who went to jail for jamming phone lines during the 2002 New Hampshire election to explain O'Keefe's stunt. Ironic.

[classicman]

ALL 4 INVOLVED IN SENATE HOMELAND SECURITY BREAKIN CIA “N-O-C” AGENTS

CIA PROGRAM MAY HAVE TRAINED DOMESTIC “DEATH SQUADS”

By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor

Last week’s breakin at Senator Mary Landrieu’s office in the New Orleans Federal Building was more than it seemed, much more. All of the 4 arrested had been trained by the CIA and, possibly, Israel. One arrested, Stan Dai, is listed as an Operations Officer of the Department of Defense Irregular Warfare Program and a known expert and lecturer on, not only surveillance but explosives training, assassinations and “false flag operations.” If you wanted a plane to crash, an enemy to get sick and die or a building to blow up, Dai would be the man to know how to make it happen. Problem is, his skills were being used as part of a criminal conspiracy inside the United States against members of our own government.

Original reports on the “break-in” were also wrong. One of those arrested was found blocks away with a covert receiver, managing the office bugs. The man in the car is identified as Stan Dai, Operations Officer for the Department of Defense Irregular Warfare Program:

“one of the four was arrested with a listening device in a car blocks from the senator’s offices.” The FBI’s affidavit noted that Flanagan and Basel were in the building with O’Keefe, and a federal law enforcement official confirmed to AP that Dai was the one in the car.”

What is not initially known is whether this was the first attempt or, as is much more likely, an additional incursion to plant new bugs as the ones in place were missing key conversations. Also, it is not known how many “black ops” crews are being run by the CIA inside the United States in violation of their charter or if their operations are being limited to spying on Democratic lawmakers or if operations of a more threatening nature have been performed but remain undiscovered.

Link
If these guya are the best the CIA can do we are in a boatload of shit.

[richlevy]

I honestly thought at first that this was an Onion story. It sounds too crazy to be real.

Reminds me of G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt during Watergate.

[classicman]

NEW YORK — A New York prosecutor's office says it has found no criminal wrongdoing on the part of three ACORN employees caught on video advising a couple posing as a prostitute and her boyfriend.

The Brooklyn district attorney's office said Monday that its five-month inquiry is over and that no criminal activity was found.

The videos were made by conservative activists Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe, who used a hidden camera on visits to offices.

Since then, O'Keefe has been arrested after visiting Sen. Mary Landrieu's office in New Orleans. He denies trying to tamper with the Democrat's phones.

The Brooklyn video caught ACORN workers apparently advising the pair to bolster their housing application by lying about Giles' "profession" and laundering her earnings.

Link

While the video by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles seemed to show three ACORN workers advising a prostitute how to hide ill-gotten gains, the unedited version was not as clear, according to a law enforcement source.

"They edited the tape to meet their agenda," said the source.

Link
Wow! So where is the unedited version and why hasn't that been posted?

Originally Posted by classicman

Wow! So where is the unedited version and why hasn't that been posted?

Uh.....the tape is the property of the "reporter" and maybe it hasnt been posted because he knew it would undermined the sensationalism of his less than ethical act.

Reading back over this thread, it certainly didnt stop you (or Merc or UT) from presuming guilt based on the edited version...or Republicans in Congress from using it for political purposes....so regardless of the verdict in this case, he accomplished what he intended.

Looking forward to the civil cases in Baltimore and Philly.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Redux

Reading back over this thread, it certainly didnt stop you (or Merc or UT) from presuming guilt based on the edited version...or Republicans in Congress from using it for political purposes....so regardless of the verdict in this case, he accomplished what he intended.

Except for the part where classic was the one who posted the latest article indicating the tape was edited. But I'm sure it's more productive to bring up past posts instead. You argue like a chick.