Feds Planted Bug In Philly Mayor's Office

NBC News ^ | October 8, 2003

[mrobison]

NBC News: Feds Planted Bug In Street's Office

Mayor Says Bug Part Of Political Attack

NBC News has confirmed that it was federal investigators who placed an electronic device in Philadelphia mayor's John Street office.

NBC News correspondent Pete Williams said that several sources confirmed to him that the device was placed in the office by the U.S. government.

However, a law enforcement official cautioned that the presence of the bug there does not necessarily mean that the mayor, himself, is under investigation. Officials confirmed to NBC News it was put in place by federal investigators, though they won't say specifically whether it was the work of the FBI or another agency.

Williams said it was unclear if the surveillance was directly related to two ongoing federal investigations in Philadelphia.

One current investigation involves a no-bid, $1 million-a-year airport-services contract between the Street administration and a company owned by the mayor's brother, Milton Street.

[kylaka]

A receeding Afro.

[Dead Corpse]

No offense to those sporting an "afro" style haircut, but in that particular picture it looks somewhat like a Chia Pet gone horribly wrong.

[mrobison]

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

[CFC__VRWC]

But the lefties won't make that distinction. As far as they're concerned, everything Ashcroft does is part of the fascist Bush plot to destroy democracy in America.

[Republican Red]

Did you all notice the poll on the page of the story

Should The Feds Have The Power To Bug A Local Government Official's Office?

yes = 84%
no = 16%

So much for ensuing scandal.

[Orangedog]

LOL! Gordon Liddy, call your office!

[Dead Corpse]

The only scandal being that more government offices aren't bugged. Put a full access webcam in every one of 'em. Let's the the cockroaches scurry from the "light" of that much oversight.

[blam]

Lawmen: FBI Planted Bug in Mayor's Office

By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA - Federal law enforcement officials on Wednesday confirmed that listening devices found in the offices of Mayor John F. Street were planted by the FBI a discovery that touched off a political furor just weeks before Election Day.

Three federal law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that the FBI was responsible for the bug, but refused to comment on whether the Democratic mayor is a target of an investigation or to provide any details about the nature of the probe.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, and Sen. Arlen Specter , a Republican, were among several politicians who called on the FBI Wednesday to tell the public what it knows about the eavesdropping equipment, found Tuesday.

"I think given this extraordinary situation with four weeks to go in the campaign, it is incumbent upon the FBI to say why they planted the device," Rendell said.

The bug was found during a routine sweep of Street's office by police. Street is locked in a bitter rematch against Republican businessman Sam Katz, and the campaign has been marked by charges of threats and race-baiting. Election Day is Nov. 4.

At a meeting with reporters Wednesday, Street said for the second day that he didn't know who bugged his office or why.

"I haven't done anything wrong, and I don't know that anybody in my cabinet or in my staff around me has done anything wrong," Street said.

Street's campaign suggested the bugging was instigated by the U.S. Justice Department for political reasons.

"The timing of the discovery of these listening devices seems incredibly strange, seeing that we are four weeks out of the election, and we have a Democratic mayor ahead in the polls, and we are on the eve of the first mayoral debate," Street campaign spokesman Frank Keel said.

"Do we believe that the Republican Party, both at the federal level and state level, is pulling out every stop to get Pennsylvania in 2004? Absolutely," Keel said. "Is the Republican Party capable of dirty tricks? I think that is well-documented."

U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, the top federal prosecutor in Philadelphia, declined to say what federal agents might know about the bug but denied politics plays any role in his office's decisions.

"The U.S. Attorney's office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has a long and proud history of doing its work without regard to partisan politics. That was the practice of my predecessors, and it is my practice as well," Meehan said in a statement.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said he turned the matter over to the FBI. He said the security sweeps of the mayor's office have been going on for decades.

An aide to Street who spoke on condition of anonymity said that more than one microphone was found and that all were within the mayor's office suite. Officials would not say how long the equipment was believed to have been in place, but police said a sweep done in June found nothing suspicious.

Katz called the discovery "breathtakingly shocking." His campaign denied having anything to do with the bugging.

Street beat Katz four years ago by fewer than 10,000 votes in this city of 1.5 million. Polls also show a neck-and-neck race in this year's campaign.

In August, someone tossed what was believed to have been an unlit firebomb through the window of a Katz campaign office. An aide to Street and a former city employee were charged with making threats after getting into a confrontation the same day. Supporters of Street, who is black, have accused supporters of Katz, who is white, of race-baiting.

[Major_Risktaker]

NBC News correspondent Pete Williams said that several sources confirmed to him that the device was placed in the office by the U.S. government.

Name the source please!

However, a law enforcement official cautioned that the presence of the bug there does not necessarily mean that the mayor, himself, is under investigation. Officials confirmed to NBC News it was put in place by federal investigators, though they won't say specifically whether it was the work of the FBI or another agency.

Name the law enforcement office please!

Show us the bug, who found it, how it was found and when please!

This story is a fantasy that anyone can write and post.

I just found the bug!

Sony NTM-900 900 MHz BabyCall Sound-Sensor Nursery Monitor

[PLMerite]

"Don't the feds have any bugs that can successfully be concealed?"

Yes.

[dead]

I'm guessing he drives a convertible.

[blackbag]

I suspect the reason they were found was because the concealment was not up to par... Properly concealed these guys could have missed it.

The feds use class II devices.
Depending on the ingenuity of the concealment, many class
II devices will not be located by these "expert" firms.

Even their signal fingerprint is more discreet and hard to
detect.

Class II devices are restricted to government usage. As a rule of thumb private firms are not suppose to aknowledge finding these types of devices. Unless of course they are found visually during an inspection.

[doug from upland]

Good tagline. And he has his eye out for you.

[Williams]

Interesting but the bottom line is they were not meant to be found. Street's people found them and annonced it. Now they are actually saying the timing of finding these things is suspicious?? Duh. My understanding of US Attorney practice is they will deliberately WAIT with an indictment until after an election so they do not influence the election. Whether that's right or wrong, I believe that's their policy.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

[However, a law enforcement official cautioned that the presence of the bug there does not necessarily mean that the mayor, himself, is under investigation....Williams said it was unclear if the surveillance was directly related to two ongoing federal investigations in Philadelphia....One current investigation involves a no-bid, $1 million-a-year airport-services contract between the Street administration and a company owned by the mayor's brother, Milton Street.]

Hmmmmmm. This warrants further investigation.

[wardaddy]

One current investigation involves a no-bid, $1 million-a-year airport-services contract between the Street administration and a company owned by the mayor's brother, Milton Street

Afro-Chutzpah.

[CyberAnt]

I sure hope so!

[bayourod]

A couple decades ago the then Mayor of Philidelphia wiped out a whole city block by dropping a bomb on it. There were some really POed people. Maybe the FEDs are looking to see if the mayor's office has any more WMDs.

[JohnnyZ]

declaring American citizens on American soil 'enemy combatants' so that they can be denied all rights

What if they are enemy combatants? You'd rather have them wandering the streets, attacking America? War is here, in America. Wake up!!! Or maybe we should just wait for another couple thousand people are killed, or maybe a million via biological attack, and then we'll have enough evidence to prove what we already knew.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

What the heck is that on his head?

Is he borrowing Trafficant's hairpiece while he is in prison?