Orlando TV Reporter Admits Telling Islamic Terrorism Suspect About Undercover FBI Probe!

Orlando Sentinel ^ | Pedro Gutierez

[randog]

Most GM's are. Here's a big, juicy, ratings-getting story and it's all about his guy. The other stations (and newspaper) will run like hell with the story while Channel 6 has to stay quiet. Unless they fire Mr. Bigmouth, at which point they can report all they want on their "ex-employee".

I suspect Mr. Pipitone will have his walking papers by the end of the week.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[rwfromkansas]

Hooray...it's back up!

It was gone for a couple weeks (perhaps somebody got pressured or something)

[rwfromkansas]

I would can his butt, that's for sure.

Revealing info like this smacks of unprofessionalism, regardless of whether you are conservative or liberal.

If a conservative would have revealed some important info, that reporter would be deserving of canning as much as a liberal reporter.

I doubt this guy is conservative though.

[maestro]

bttt

Great 'Home Page'.....

m

[ikka]

Maali has a wife named Jihad. Kinda sets off alarms with me.

[rwfromkansas]

talking about my FR homepage?

Thanks!

[DoctorZIn]

PING!

BTW, Check Out My New News Blog!

PS I am looking for news stories, correspondents and blog advice.

[martin_fierro]

I wonder if Tony gave Money To Kerry?

2002 donations (source: opensecrets.org):

Contributor        Occupation    Date    Amount     Recipient

PIPITONE, ANTHONY
MARCO ISLAND,FL 34145            10/16/2001 $500 National Republican Congressional Cmte

PIPITONE, CHARLES A
MARCO ISLAND,FL 34145             2/20/2001 $300  National Republican Congressional Cmte

[ozzymandus]

Doesn't this qualify as treason?

[Marak]

Marco Island is a 4 hour drive from Orlando. Either a heck of a commute or you have the wrong guy.

[martin_fierro]

Or he has more than one residence. Duh.

[Dane]

Probably non-related Pipitones. Marco Island is at least 200 miles from Orlando.

[Marak]

Or he could have moved in the last two years. My point was that your posting is not necessarily the records of the man in question.

[martin_fierro]

Welllll....you check into it and get back to me. 'Kay?

[nw_arizona_granny]

Ping to Dr. Zin's new site and the article.........

[Amelia]

My question is, how did the TV reporter know about the undercover probe? Shouldn't that have been secret? Why is the FBI telling reporters about things like this?

Seems to me that there is a problem with the FBI if the press knows about a "secret" probe at least a month before the suspect.

[Elkiejg]

The cover up begins. This is part of an article on the TV station site:

Asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Hawkins how he learned about the possible investigation, NeJame testified Pipitone called him and asked if he was representing Maali.

NeJame testified that Pipitone "did not tell me he (Maali) was under investigation," but questioned him about "some sort of investigation or (Pipitone) heard there might be."

WKMG News Director Skip Valet said Wednesday that his reporter was just checking out a tip and called NeJame, among others, because the attorney was known to represent Muslim-Americans. "He did not 'tip-off' anyone; he just asked questions about whether NeJame had heard anything about a possible investigation," Valet said.

[pitinkie]

I sent him an email..this is his response: I called him a traitor.



Care to expound on that, Mel?

I think you must be misinformed.

Tony Pipitone
WKMG-TV Orlando
407-521-1291
tpipitone@wkmg.com

[pitinkie]

His next email:


That's what I thought you were talking about.

I hope you read the local6.com story on this and see the Sentinel was way off base.

Here's the link: http://www.local6.com/money/3528284/detail.html

First, I did not inform a lawyer that his client is being investigated; the lawyer in question was not then and had never previously represented Maali.

Secondly, as the lawyer testified to, I did not tell him Maali was under investigation. I said I heard there may be an investigation going on of Muslim-Americans and, since he often represents people from that part of the world, I asked if he had heard anything. You may not know this, but the targets of federal investigations are sometimes aware before any charges are filed; they can get "target letters" and enter into negotiations with prosecutors to avoid indictment, so asking a lawyer if he heard anything is not "tipping off" anyone -- it's doing my job.

Finally, the FBI agent heading the investigation told me Tuesday (after the attorney revealed from whom he heard about a possible investigation) that my conduct was okay with him, that he expects the media to be looking into what the government is doing. Clearly, what we did was not a hindrance to their investigation.

I hope that gives you an accurate picture of what happened and persuades you I am not a traitor.

Thanks for listening,

Tony