Posted on 02/01/2010 5:42:01 PM PST by freespirited
The founder of the Web site that employs video-maker James OKeefe accused the federal prosecutor who is handling the case of four men who allegedly tried to interfere with the phones at Sen. Mary Landrieus office of leaking one-sided information about the arrests to the news media.
Andrew Breitbart, the founder of BigGovernment.com which employs OKeefe one of the four men arrested directed his acccusation at Jim Letten, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Breitbart also said on Fox News that OKeefe sat in jail for 28 hours without access to an attorney.
OKeefe, 25, gained fame last year for his part in making secret videos in several offices of the community organizing group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) that caused a stir in conservative circles and led to congressional efforts to cut off federal contracts with the group.
OKeefe was arrested last week in New Orleans along with three other conservative activists, including Robert Flanagan, the son of William J. Flanagan, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.
Breitbart said that Lettens leaks were a concerted effort to frame the episode in a way that would put OKeefe in a bad position, reports Talking Points Memo. But the first report of the arrests came last Tuesday after the U.S. Attorneys Office put out a press release around the same time as an article on the case, in the Times-Picayune was posted online.
Asked what motivation the U.S. Attorney would have to make such an effort, Breitbart responded: Well, its tied to the Justice Department. And weve been very aggressive in asking Eric Holder to investigate whats seen on the ACORN tapes, and hes ignored it.
Letten is a Republican who was appointed by President George W. Bush. He has bipartisan support from the states two senators to continue serving during the Obama administration, and was today named to an advisory panel for the Attorney General, a strong indication that Holder will retain him in his post.
According to an Associated Press narrative about the events leading up to the arrests, Flanagan met the other three, OKeefe, Joseph Basel, 24, and Stan Dai, 24, just the day before OKeefe spoke at The Pelican Institute, five days before their arrest, said J. Garrison Jordan, Flanagans lawyer.
Flanagan, writes the AP, was All-American pitcher for the Division III baseball team at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., was enrolled last year at Missouri State Universitys Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, in Fairfax, Va. He served as a paid Washington intern for Republican Rep. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma and also interned for Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
Plot thickening.
It is war and sometimes people go above the call of duty.
After doing as much damage as possible. Paid off by being put on Holder's team.
Following in the footsteps of Nifong?
Christmas Bomber probably got a lawyer a lot sooner
“Letten has now recused himself from the case.”
Verrry interrrresting!
Well, he’s shown his asskissing bonifides to Holder so he’s in like Flynn and can recuse himself with no penalty points from the racist pig in chief.
bttt
He also has not yet been reappointed AND he has to get the blessing of LANDRIEU to be reappointed.
US Attorney Leaves Landrieu Phone Caper Case [James O’Keefe]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2442270/posts
NEW ORLEANS The top federal prosecutor for New Orleans removed himself on Monday from the case of four conservative activists arrested last week while trying to capture hidden camera footage in a senator’s office.
The Department of Justice said in a news release Monday that Jim Letten, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, has recused himself from the case involving the incident in Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office in New Orleans. Letten’s top lieutenant, assistant U.S. Attorney Jan Mann, is taking over the case.
The news release didn’t say why Letten was removing himself, and a spokeswoman for Letten said she couldn’t comment on the reason.
One of the suspects is the son of Letten’s Shreveport-based counterpart.
Another man who was arrested, James O’Keefe, has said the group wanted to investigate complaints that constituents calling Landrieu’s office couldn’t get through. Landrieu’s office has said O’Keefe’s explanation is feeble, and the case should be thoroughly investigated.
In the Jan. 25 incident, authorities said O’Keefe used his cell phone to try to capture video of two other men who posed as telephone repairmen and asked to see the phones at Landrieu’s office. The fourth is accused of waiting outside in a car with a listening device that could pick up transmissions.
ping.
Damn this is getting good.
FReegards!
Update on O’keefe.
What? You mean a cell phone?
Car radios can pick up transmissions ~ and do so every day ~ and in the darndest places!
Letten MUST be DIRTY sonce HOLDER PICKED HIM for his ADvisory Board!!! What’s with David Vitter, then????
NIFONG....for sure!! Hope he IS NIFONGED!!
How else were “the people” going to find out why Landrieu was refusing to receive phone calls about her disgusting Louisiana Purchase? She lied, I believe, about her phones being jammed or out of order. She didn’t want to receive calls from “we the people.” That’s all.
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