FBI: Agents Sorry Bug Found During Race

[True_Blue]

PHILADELPHIA - Acknowledging for the first time that the FBI hid listening devices in the mayor's office, the bureau's top agent in Philadelphia expressed regret Wednesday that the discovery has created turmoil weeks before a mayoral election.

Speaking at an unscheduled news conference, Special Agent Jeffrey Lampinski offered an apology, but declined to discuss details of the federal investigation.

"No one regrets more so than the investigators on this case that this device was uncovered in the midst of an election," Lampinski said.

An FBI bug was found on Oct. 7 in the office of incumbent Democrat John Street during a routine security sweep. Since then, agents have subpoenaed records from city agencies, searched the offices of at least two of the mayor's political allies and confiscated three of Street's computers.
more....
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/7078967.htm

[La_Serpiente]

1. And guess who's in town

http://www.phila-tribune.com/102103-1-P1.htm

[MissMarple]

4. Hm... so maybe the FBI didn't plant it.

Just a random thought.

[bluestateguy]

2. Philadephia officials should prosecute the FBI agents

for violation of state laws. It's time to play hardball with these fascists.

[FlemingsGhost]

3. I think they're sorry that it bolstered Street's numbers

Oooops...

[amlouden]

5. bush too

maybe bush should be investigated for cronyism, because you know he's done it 100x times as many as the mayor of philidelphia

[Gman]

9. And they're sorry they got caught

this is laughable.

[radfringe]

11. my niece is always sorry too

when she's caught with her hands in the cookie jar

[Minstrel Boy]

6. "Operation Fruehmenschen" - anyone know about this?

I've read very little about it, and the FBI deny, deny, deny.

On Jan 27, 1988, then-Congressman Mervyn Dymally presented to the House a sworn affidavit by an FBI agent, Hirsch Friedman, concerning an FBI policy called Operation Fruehmenschen ("primitive man").

According to Friedman's testimony:

"The purpose of this policy was the routine investigation without probable cause of prominent elected and appointed officials in major metropolitan areas throughout the United States. It was explained to me that the basis for this Fruehmenschen policy was the assumption by the FBI that black officials were intellectually and socially incapable of governing major governmental organizations and institutions."

And according to the book Harrassment of Black Elected Officials, by Dr Mary Sawyer, between 1983 and 1988, 14% of all political corruption cases targetted black officials, though they comprised only 3% of US office holders. And between 1981 and 1983, roughly half of the Congressional Black Caucus were targets of federal investigations for indictiments.

[noonwitch]

13. I never heard of it, but that explains the FBI investigation in Detroit

In the late 80s, the feds sent in an undercover agent to investigate how the police department was handling money recovered in drug house raids. The guy they sent in was named Ken Weiner. They did catch the police chief (Hart) for embezzeling money and giving it to his mistress, and Weiner himself went to prison. Their target was Mayor Coleman Young, and they never were able to touch him. He was overwhelmingly re-elected in 1989. The feds also bugged his house in a probe of a garbage contract a few years earlier. They never got anything on him in that one either.

[Briarius]

7. What a great non-apology

"No one regrets more so than the investigators on this case that this device was uncovered in the midst of an election,"

there not sorry for planting it, just sorry that it was found at an inconvienent time for everyone...breathtaking

[SoCalDem]

8. That's their stock apology..

"sorry you were offended"..
"sorry, you found out"..
"sorry the press reported on ..whatever"

They can never apologize, because they are NOT sorry they did or said something, they are only sorry it was brought to light..

[maxrandb]

12. SORRY!

Reminds me of a great song, but I can't remember who sings it.

"sorry I jerked off outside your window, sorry you found out, I'd hoped you'd never know.

[gratuitous]

10. "Sorry we look like COINTELPRO weasels"

"Please don't draw that conclusion, okay?"