House Burglaries Baffle Staff, Police (House of Representatives)

National Journal ^ | 5/17/12 | Julia Edwards

[illiac]

Puzzling break-ins over the last month at the offices of at least three House members and several committees have U.S. Capitol Police gumshoes working to find a pattern and the culprits, with missing items ranging from cash and expensive computer equipment to autographed baseballs and alcohol.

In at least four of the cases, thieves broke into the offices at night when doors were locked, leading some staffers to believe they were victims of an inside job.

(MAP: Where the House Office Break-Ins Happened)

“The evidence points to someone with access to my office, and other offices in the Capitol complex, as the perpetrator,” freshman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., surmised in a letter to the House’s Office of the Chief Administrative Officer.

Other offices hit—many of which handle information dealing with issues of national security, though nothing of a sensitive nature was reportedly taken—include those of Reps. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., and Jon Runyan, R-N.J.; the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security; and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

[illiac]

Watergate II?

[Gaffer]

Thieves with White House passes is my guess.

[unixfox]

Other offices hit—many of which handle information dealing with issues of national security, though nothing of a sensitive nature was reportedly taken—include those of Reps. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., and Jon Runyan, R-N.J.; the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security; and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

They can't even secure their own offices, why should we expect them to secure the border or the whole country for that matter.

So pathetic.

[kevkrom]

“The evidence points to someone with access to my office, and other offices in the Capitol complex, as the perpetrator,” freshman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., surmised in a letter to the House’s Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. Other offices hit—many of which handle information dealing with issues of national security, though nothing of a sensitive nature was reportedly taken—include those of Reps. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., and Jon Runyan, R-N.J.

Call me paranoid, but does anyone else notice a pattern in the victims here? Who's to say their offices aren't being broken into to gain intel, and then some items are taken to make it look like simple theft?

[Vendome]

This can’t be hard to figure out.

That place has so many cameras and card readers it ought to be fairly easy to find the culprit.

Check who ever swiped their access cards during those periods, check the cameras and voila....

Yes, I know they probably already did this...

[Col Frank Slade]

Nice to know they keep alcohol in their offices....

Actually, that may explain a lot....

[Sooth2222]

"missing items ranging from cash and expensive computer equipment to autographed baseballs and alcohol."

Maybe "Obama's people" but AFAIK when Nixon's plumbers broke into the Watergate they weren't looking for baseballs and booze. Could it be someone on the cleaning or maintenance staff?

[Izzy Dunne]

Who's to say their offices aren't being broken into to gain intel

I noticed the pattern too.

Breaking in to House Republican offices to gain intelligence may sound like an oxymoron, but there it is.

Maybe it's just to make them pay "their fair share".

[tacticalogic]

I’d be looking at security and maintenance staff.

[molson209]

Cleaners really cleaning up

[wtd]

Re:

"Who's to say their offices aren't being broken into to gain intel, and then some items are taken to make it look like simple theft?"

You beat me to it . . .Noticed the same coincidence and had the same 'not-so-paranoid' thoughts here.

[llandres]

Probably another Obama-gate that the DBM will ignore.

[liberalh8ter]

I won't call you paranoid; you're using logic and common sense. That's not paranoia. Given the proclivities of the current administration, I'd say you hit a bullseye.

[ElkGroveDan]

I'm always amazed at how many doors are left unlocked in Congressional offices (and state capitols), not just unlocked, but wide open after hours. During the day it's a common practice to prop the door open so as to be welcoming to the public and visitors, but then as everyone goes home and the last staffers are running back and forth on errands you wind up with offices totally unattended with doors wide open. Most of the members' internal office doors are usually unlocked too, and some of those guys have very expensive mementos and personal belongings siting out on desks and bookshelves.

It's nice to think that 99% of the American public has respect for boundaries and personal property, but I'm not surprised that someone determined to start picking things up has been successful. The Capitol police should probably be looking at new after-hours employees like temporary or fill-in janitorial staff. The regular janitors are some of the best people I've ever met, they are well known by staff and most of them are looked as co-workers, but someone new who discovered the easy-pickens would be the top suspect in my book.

[cripplecreek]

Plumbers.

[Erik Latranyi]

Here is my theory:

The thefts cover INSERTING information into the oversight or homeland security documents to cover for malfeasance so the administration can say “everybody knew”.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Call me paranoid, but does anyone else notice a pattern in the victims here? Who's to say their offices aren't being broken into to gain intel, and then some items are taken to make it look like simple theft?

That thought occurred to me.

If they find that any sensitive information has been accessed, it could rise to the level of a Watergate-style break-in. That is, if the victims were Democrats . . .

[George from New England]

My Thursday prediction... There will be (probably false) reports of more break-ins, in (D) offices, just to balance the fact that only (R)s have been hit so far.

[DBrow]

“gain intel, and then some items are taken to make it look like simple theft? “

Makes the most sense. Not only stealing data, but leaving data and changing data as well. Maybe placing spyware that commercial software can’t detect.

Surprising that all the hallway cameras and card scanners don’t pick up anything.

[treetopsandroofs]

This is how Watergate would have been reported with a ‘Rat president.