(PA) AG Corbett Subpoenas Twitter to Name Bloggers

ABC27 News ^ | 05/20/10 10:55 am | Myles Snyder

[pillut48]

Harrisburg, Pa. - The state attorney general's office has issued a subpoena threatening officials of the social networking service Twitter with arrest unless they reveal the names of two bloggers who have been critical of Attorney General Tom Corbett and his public corruption investigation.

The subpoena orders Twitter's custodian of records to provide "any and all subscriber information" pertaining to the accounts "bfbarbie" and "CasablancaPA," including name, address, contact information, creation date, and Internet protocol address.

The accounts have criticized Corbett's use of grand juries, suggesting he used the investigations for political gain and to go after political opponents.

The Twitter representative was supposed to appear before the statewide investigating grand jury on May 14 to "give evidence regarding alleged violations of the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." The court document does not specify what crime is being investigated.

The subpoena, issued May 6, further states that failure to attend may result in an arrest warrant for contempt of court. It is not clear whether Twitter has turned over the information.

Vic Walczak of the American Civil Liberties Union told Pittsburgh's WTAE-TV that the court action "raises grave concerns about abuse of the grand jury process to retaliate against political critics and opponents." He said Americans "have a right to criticize government officials and to do so anonymously."

Corbett, who won the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday night, told the television station that he doesn't have any problem with people criticizing him on Twitter. He refused to discuss the nature of the subpoena, however, stating that the investigation prevents him from discussing the matter.

[pillut48]

Says he's a 'republican'--anyone in the area know what this is about? Going after anonymous bloggers like this is giving me a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach...

[woweeitsme]

He’s actually going to be the Republican gubernatorial candidate. Not liking this...

[K-oneTexas]

Free Speech gone in PA?

Hadn’t seen this before, wonder what is next. Maybe no elected official can be criticized.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The accounts have criticized Corbett's use of grand juries, suggesting he used the investigations for political gain and to go after political opponents.

Mr. Corbett pretty much proved the accuracy of those suggestions by going after the guys criticizing him.

[Jim Robinson]

FU Corbett.

[Marty62]

He is being accused of Public Corruption.
Big difference than saying he’s a jerk.

[NeoCaveman]

He’s actually going to be the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

He sounds like a statist thug.

[Sparky21555]

Republican, dhimmicrat, same damn thing nowadays.

Big government and alliegence to the NWO.

He claims to be a conservative yet stomps on free speech?

[maine-iac7]

ping

[PA Engineer]

Says he's a 'republican'--anyone in the area know what this is about? Going after anonymous bloggers like this is giving me a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach...

He just won the Republican Primary for Governor. The occupation media assassination of him begins. He has been a good AG and is also suing to stop obamacare.

[VeniVidiVici]

What a dumbass.

[PA Engineer]

"FU Corbett."

Jim. He has been a good AG and is challenging obamacare. This is the beginning of the media assassination because he is popular and could win the Governor position in November.

[Jim Robinson]

Well, he’d best make himself clear pretty quick. Using government power to go after anonymous critics is not good.

[pillut48]

"bfbarbie"'s blog here

[pillut48]

ALCUPA RELEASE: ACLU Representing Anonymous Twitter Critics of PA Attorney General Tom Corbett

Grand Jury Issued Subpoena to Twitter Demanding Users' Identities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 20, 2010

HARRISBURG - The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania announced today that it is representing two anonymous Twitter users who have criticized State Attorney General Tom Corbett on a social networking site. Corbett's office asked a grand jury to issue a subpoena earlier this month to Twitter demanding the identities of his critics.

"Any subpoena seeking to unmask the identity of anonymous critics raises the specter of political retaliation," said Witold Walczak, legal director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania and one of the lawyers representing the Twitter users. "It's a prized American right to criticize government officials, and to do so anonymously."

The subpoena seeks the subscriber information of two Twitter accounts, bfbarbie and CasablancaPA. The subpoena, which asks for records to be turned over by Friday, May 14, was issued by the attorney general's statewide investigating grand jury on May 6.

Twitter has advised the ACLU that they have not disclosed the account holders' identity, after receiving an objection from a user to the production of subscriber information. It is Twitter's policy to delay production in such cases to provide the user an opportunity to assert his or her rights.

A news account earlier today reported that the Attorney General's Office appeared to justify the subpoena by claiming that they needed to know the identities of the Twitter users because they suspected that it was a former legislative aide, Brett Cott, who had been convicted in the Bonusgate case and who was using the blog to "attack and malign the investigative and prosecutorial process, which resulted in his conviction." If true, they argued, this would justify imposing a harsher sentence. The ACLU questions whether seeking evidence in aid of a sentencing proceeding is an appropriate use of the grand jury system.

"The ACLU's concerns are that using the grand jury process in aid of seeking evidence for sentencing is improper and that using the court to unmask political critics is unconstitutional retaliation that violates the First Amendment," said Walczak.

The ACLU's lawyers have entered discussions with the AG's Office, asking them to withdraw the subpoenas. If the AG's Office refuses, the ACLU expects to file a motion to quash the subpoenas.

"For a candidate who is campaigning on his desire to protect the privacy of Pennsylvanians who are affected by the new health care bill, Attorney General Corbett shows a disturbing lack of interest in the privacy of critics who, in the best tradition of American democracy, have chosen to criticize his conduct of office anonymously," said Paul Alan Levy, a lawyer with the Public Citizen Litigation Group, which is working with the ACLU on the matter.

In addition to Walczak and Levy, also representing the anonymous Twitter users are Barbara Zemlock, a lawyer with Post Schell in Harrisburg, and Mark Sheppard, an attorney in the Philadelphia office of Montgomery McCracken, Walker and Rhoads, LLP.

[PA Engineer]

Well, he’d best make himself clear pretty quick. Using government power to go after anonymous critics is not good.

There is one more thing not related to this. Two years ago a 27 year old perv was stalking our 15 year old daughter. We made the initial report on a Sunday night. AG Corbett had investigators at our house the next afternoon. They were courteous, supportive, helpful and acted within 24 hours.

I agree he needs to get on top of this, but I know we are not getting the real story.

[Ditto]

Jim. He has been a good AG and is challenging obamacare.

He's also sent a bunch of those corrupt Harrisburg weasels to the iron bar hotel. The old boy, back scratching, envelopes under the table network do not like him at all.

I suspect there is more to this than meets the eye -- like someone in the State Police or AGs office leaking info on his investigations. Official corruption in Harrisburg is nearly 3rd world in it's pervasiveness.

[pillut48]

A Corbett spokesman said the subpoena was partly related to a Friday sentencing hearing for former Democratic legislative aide Brett Cott. He is one of three people convicted in March of public corruption charges in the ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal use of legislative employees and government resources to run political campaigns.

The grand jury on May 6 subpoenaed the identities and other information about the two users from Twitter Inc. Corbett's office has been using the highly secretive grand jury process for the past several years to look into allegations that government resources and legislative employees have been illegally used to run political campaigns...Attorney general's office spokesman Kevin Harley said the subpoena "has nothing to do with criticisms of the attorney general."

"There are many bloggers and other Web sites that are critical of the attorney general," Harley said. "That's not what this is about."

Grand jury secrecy makes it difficult, if not impossible, to know why the identities of bfbarbie and CasablancaPA are being sought.

But in an interview with the AP last year, Corbett said he was aware of anonymous critics of his investigation, and mentioned Cott by name.

"We know people like Brett Cott are on the blogs all day, making stuff up," Corbett said.

Cott was an aide to former Rep. Mike Veon, D-Beaver, who also was convicted of multiple counts. Veon's sentencing is scheduled for next month.
Source: AP: ACLU helping guard Twitter posters' IDs in Pa. (MARK SCOLFORO)
*****************************
Uh, oh. This is going to be a HUGE public relations nightmare for Corbett!! That quote is going to come back and haunt him.

[PA Engineer]

He's also sent a bunch of those corrupt Harrisburg weasels to the iron bar hotel. The old boy, back scratching, envelopes under the table network do not like him at all.

He has made many enemies by enforcing the law. The Rat and Union corruption is unbelievable in PA.

[bvw]

Democrat Harry Truman beat the man who busted up both Tammany Hall and the NY Mob — Republican Manhattan District Attorney Thomas Dewey.