« NY Times: Monogamy Is for Losers | Main | You Bought Nancy Pelosi $101,000 Worth of Booze »

January 29, 2010

There Are Two Sides to Every Story, Even LandrieuGate

Posted by The MaryHunter at January 29, 2010 4:02 PM

James O'Keefe has released a statement regarding that little incident involving Senator Mary Landrieu's office and alleged wiretapping. According to O'Keefe, it was all a bit of a misunderstanding.

The government has now confirmed what has always been clear: No one tried to wiretap or bug Senator Landrieu's office. Nor did we try to cut or shut down her phone lines. Reports to this effect over the past 48 hours are inaccurate and false.

I learned from a number of sources that many of Senator Landrieu's constituents were having trouble getting through to her office to tell her that they didn't want her taking millions of federal dollars in exchange for her vote on the healthcare bill. When asked about this, Senator Landrieu's explanation was that, "Our lines have been jammed for weeks." I decided to investigate why a representative of the people would be out of touch with her constituents for "weeks" because her phones were broken. In investigating this matter, we decided to visit Senator Landrieu's district office - the people's office - to ask the staff if their phones were working.

O'Keefe takes a few swipes at the media reporting of the incident:

We video taped the entire visit, the government has those tapes, and I'm eager for them to be released because they refute the false claims being repeated by much of the mainstream media.

It has been amazing to witness the journalistic malpractice committed by many of the organizations covering this story. MSNBC falsely claimed that I violated a non-existent "gag order." The Associated Press incorrectly reported that I "broke in" to an office which is open to the public. The Washington Post has now had to print corrections in two stories on me. And these are just a few examples of inaccurate and false reporting.

Touche? Time, and hopefully, objective facts, will tell. It's not entirely clear that, even with this explanation, O'Keefe and his collaborators are off the hook.

Even accepting O'Keefe's explanation, his team still appears to have broken the law by gaining admission to a federal office under false pretenses and attempting to access the phone system, possibly with "willful and malicious" intent to interfere with it. Be sure to read Allahpundit's analysis of the law and how it applies to this situation.

---

---