Why Tamper with Landrieu's Phone (not wiretapping)

[benlurkin]

Source: MSNBC

A law enforcement official says the four men arrested for attempting to tamper with the phones in the New Orleans office of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) were not trying to intercept or wiretap the calls.

Instead, the official says, the men, led by conservative videomaker James O'Keefe, wanted to see how her local office staff would respond if the phones were inoperative. They were apparently motivated, the official says, by criticism that when Sen. Landrieu became a big player in the health care debate, people in Louisiana were having a hard time getting through on the phones to register their views.

That is, the official says, what led the four men to pull this stunt -- to see how the local staffers would react if the phones went out. Would the staff just laugh it off, or would they express great concern that local folks couldn't get through?




Read more: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/

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OK so do they still face charges and what are they? It was tampering, non the less, in a Federal office building. They should still go to jail.

[eleny]

1. What a load of horseshit

[TheEuclideanOne]

21. Yeah, I said the same thing when I tried to rob that bank.....

I wasn't trying to steal any money, I just wanted to see how the bank would react if somebody saw their safe wide open. Yeah, that's the ticket!

[eleny]

30. Why of course you did! It's so obvious.

And while I"m at it - let me add a great big
......... ...........

[Gman]

2. Complete and unadulterated steaming fresh HORSESHIT!

anyone busted by the FBI on federal offense felony charges will do and say anything to save their ass and stay out of federal pen.

[targetpractice]

3. So sabotaging phone lines is okay? n/t

[mbperrin]

4. CYA in progress! Check out Forbes:

A federal law enforcement official said one of the suspects was picked up in a car a couple of blocks away with a listening device that could pick up transmissions. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not part of an FBI affidavit that described the circumstances of the case.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/01/26/general-us-senator-apos-s-office-arrests_7305292.html

Throw them under the jailhouse.

[aquart]

5. Uh, knocking out the phones IS tampering.

PREVENTING constituents from reaching their elected representative is OUTRAGEOUS. And that is what they planned to do.

BTW, the overall smarminess of their original concept just reeks of entitlement.

[Monk06]

6. unnamed law enforcement official = triple coil steaming pile of horseshit

[UpInArms]

7. I hope the MEDIA does not get to choose the charges

these people are criminals and they have committed felonious acts - wiretapping a federal official

[Blue_Tires]

8. there have been quite a few unnamed officials and blogs pushing that

"They weren't REALLY trying to wiretap the phone of a U.S. Senator; that's just crazy!" meme while trying to mitigate it to something harmless...

[RubyDuby in GA]

9. I call B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T

Right. They just wanted to see if the staffers would be concerned??? And I'm the tooth fairy.

[TheEuclideanOne]

23. Well, okay, if that is what they are going with.

The good thing is that you are not the only one calling bullshit. It is a pretty weak defense and I am can't see anybody reasonable believing it. So, great, let them go with that excuse.

[zeemike]

10. It is the first attempt to marginalize this

More to follow

[never cry wolf]

11. They trespassed on Federal Property

under false pretenses and intended to commit a felony. Is cutting off phone communications to a Senator's office a felony? It was obviously for political purposes and with intent to harm. This was not a prank, it was a conspiracy to commit a crime.

[jmowreader]

12. James, you may have wanted to call me first...

Title 18, Chapter 65 (Malicious Mischief), Section 1362: Communication lines, stations or systems

Whoever willfully or maliciously injures or destroys any of the works, property, or material of any radio, telegraph, telephone or cable, line, station, or system, or other means of communication, operated or controlled by the United States, or used or intended to be used for military or civil defense functions of the United States, whether constructed or in process of construction, or willfully or maliciously interferes in any way with the working or use of any such line, or system, or willfully or maliciously obstructs, hinders, or delays the transmission of any communication over any such line, or system, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

In the case of any works, property, or material, not operated or controlled by the United States, this section shall not apply to any lawful strike activity, or other lawful concerted activities for the purposes of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection which do not injure or destroy any line or system used or intended to be used for the military or civil defense functions of the United States.

- - - - -

Throwing Jimbo in jail for disrupting Senator Landrieu's telephone system might not be as rewarding as throwing him in jail for wiretapping, but fuck it, man--whatever gets him put in the prison kitchen for the next ten years is fine by me.

[Wizard777]

25. They not only proved they broke the phone.

Now they're admitting they went with the intent of breaking the phone. I'm quite sure the secretary will testify that the phones were working perfectly before they arrived. Then Mr. Basel "manipulated" the phone. Then he called the line with his cell phone proving the phone was now broken. Proving that his manipulation broke the phone. Now they are admitting they went there with the intent of breaking the phone. I can hardly wait to see a judge put them in federal prison for every day of 10 years. Just to see how they react to it. It should be an interesting moment in conservative film making.

[jmowreader]

28. What would be even more an interesting moment...

is if the judge barred video cameras from his courtroom for this trial. You KNOW O'Keefe is going to try to use his camera phone...which would allow the judge to give him some more time for contempt of court.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. What bullshit.

This is something the defense attorney should be saying, not a law enforcement officer.

[24601]

19. Law enforcement officers are not tools of the prosecutors nor should

they be. They should be neutral, should investigate and should tell the truth, the good, bad and the fuc*&n ugly, regardless of who it helps or hurts. Their expertise should be available to both sides without bias.

Too many times, the "law" has conspired and/or manufactured evidence for the prosecution. I'll presume that those who oppose the death penalty will agree.

Speak up now if you'd rather live in a police state = then don't bitch when it's power is used against you.

[uppityperson]

14. "It was all for fun and games, really!" b.s. Still felony.

[peacetalksforall]

15. That story is about as infantile as their invasion of her space for whatever reason it turns out to

be. My guess is that their reason is the obvious -- gather their kind of ammunition. And they wanted to get Obama speaking to her on anything. And anyone Landrieau speaks with, especially staff and Blue Dogs. Of course. A crime might be nice from their point of view. Something that would allow the father stay in office - a throw in.

Stupid story. So transparent. Come on with arrogance and then make stupid. No character in their back bones. They must have said that for the non-thinking, gullible FOX watchers.

[Downwinder]

16. Activist touted 'project' before phone tamper case

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8919556

[DefenseLawyer]

17. Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining.

Nice try.

[IllinoisBirdWatcher]

18. Why is it when this clown O'Keefe breaks the law...

it is referred to merely as a "stunt?"

[Rosa Luxemburg]

33. because the media loves Republicans

that's the only way they can spin it. Let's see what else they've done.

[bergie321]

41. Because

The of the "liberal" media....duh...

[gkhouston]

20. Why would they need a listening device in a car nearby?

I wonder what the next bullshit story will be.

[wroberts189]

22. Why would the staff be concerned if they knew a "phone crew" was there?

The staff would think the lines were down because of the repair. I would not be concerned.

They would simply blame it the fake phone crew if such a video was made. "We were not concerned as we thought it was getting fixed any minute"

They were just going to walk around and film unnoticed ?

Why go through all that trouble for a story about staff waiting for the lines to be fixed ?

[Lars39]

24. I thought this was the FBIs baby...who the heck is this unnamed LEO?

Somebody that owes a favor?

[DallasNE]

26. No Law Enforcement Official Worth His Salt

Would comment on an on-going investigation in this manner so I think Pete Williams allowed himself to be used by the defense team in a manner that should result in Williams being fired. Just how stupid do these people thing the American people are? Oh, never mind.

[NavyMom]

27. Yeah right, you believe that I have some ocean front property in Kansas for sell..nt

[rhett o rick]

29. When bush* was president (spit) they could use the FBI to tap her phone. Now they

have to hire idiots.

[bluesmail]

31. Oh, come on now, really? EOM

[wordpix]

32. and I cut my neighbor's phone line so she wouldn't trip on it

Landrieu is in trouble next election. She's styled herself as "Repuglican Lite," which seldom excites the voters. No doubt the young pugs schooled by Karl Rove want to get some goods on her to go for the jugular.

[Puzzler]

34. Let's assume that it's true for a second...

... (and I don't, it's obviously horseshite) exactly how were they going to conduct their little sting operation? Were they intending to go on Fox news next month saying:

"Hey we were able to bug their phones without getting caught!" ???

[wordpix]

38. no they would have come out with embarassing stories about Landrieu's office

or Landrieu herself, to use in next election

[Puzzler]

39. Of course they would have...

... that's why I was saying that their excuse is clearly BS.

[JTFrog]

35. Stunt my fucking ass.

Not with all their nasty GOP connections.

Not buying it for a second. Neither should the feds.

[seeinfweggos]

36. oh, just trying to disable the phones in a federal office building.

no prob.

[Bosso 63]

37. If it had been a republican office they would call it terrorism.

[Mopar151]

40. Stan Dai is one of the CIA "Junior Woodchucks"

These guys are regular Double Knot Spies!

[naaman fletcher]

42. It actually makes a lot more sense to me...

I couldn't imagine he was dumb enough to try to tap the phone of a US Senator.