Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on January 26, 2010

James O'Keefe (in undercover garb), seen here with fellow journalist Hannah Giles -- the journalist team exposed ACORN corruption in seven offices across the nation

As is often said, a person is innocent until proven guilty. This is America, after all, and even infidel-murdering, Islamic, al-Qaeda terrorists who have already confessed to the heinous 9/11 attacks killing thousands are given all the “innocent until proven guilty in a court of law” stipulations of our American legal system (left-wingers often forget, in their childish zeal, that this provision of our judicial system applies to conservatives, too).

Let’s hope that’s how this pans out for our intrepid ACORN-exposing journalist/filmmaker hero, James O’Keefe, who has been arrested in Louisiana. This is in connection to what appears to be a plot or an attempt to wiretap the office of Sen. Mary Landrieu.

Funny (as in “funny, peculiar” not as in “funny, ha ha”): per Nice Deb, MSNBC is already covering this story. Funny in that I don’t believe the left-wing network EVER covered O’Keefe, with fellow journalist Hannah Giles, when they released, over a period of more than a month, all of their incriminating video exposés on the fraudulent doings at ACORN. Priorities, man, priorities…

Only FOX News covered the ACORN prostitution/child sex sting operations (plus ACORN’s offer to help in the illegal immigration of El Salvador child prostitutes), with CNN giving the story just a tiny bit of coverage last fall. MSNBC? Ignored the story, until now, that is.

Leaving anyone who loyally watches MSNBC scratching their heads, thinking, “Who in the heck is James O’Keefe?” And, is Ellie Light involved?

From David Hammer, NoLA.com: ACORN gotcha man among four arrested for attempting to tamper with Mary Landrieu’s office phones:

Alleging a plot to tamper with phones in Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office in the Hale Boggs Federal Building in downtown New Orleans, the FBI arrested four people Monday, including James O’Keefe, a conservative filmmaker whose undercover videos at ACORN field offices severely damaged the advocacy group’s credibility.

Also arrested were Joseph Basel, Stan Dai and Robert Flanagan, all 24. Flanagan is the son of William Flanagan, who is the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, the office confirmed. All four were charged with entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony.

According to the FBI affidavit, Flanagan and Basel entered the federal building at 500 Poydras Street about 11 a.m. Monday, dressed as telephone company employees, wearing jeans, fluorescent green vests, tool belts, and hard hats. When they arrived at Landrieu’s 10th floor office, O’Keefe was already in the office and had told a staffer he was waiting for someone to arrive.

When Flanagan and Basel entered the office, they told the staffer they were there to fix phone problems. At that time, the staffer, referred to only as Witness 1 in the affidavit, observed O’Keefe positioning his cell phone in his hand to videotape the operation. O’Keefe later admitted to agents that he recorded the event.

After being asked, the staffer gave Basel access to the main phone at the reception desk. The staffer told investigators that Basel manipulated the handset. He also tried to call the main office phone using his cell phone, and said the main line wasn’t working. Flanagan did the same.

They then told the staffer they needed to perform repair work on the main phone system and asked where the telephone closet was located. The staffer showed the men to the main General Services Administration office on the 10th floor, and Flanagan and Basel went in. There, a GSA employee asked for the men’s credentials, after which they stated they left them in their vehicle.

The U.S. Marshal’s Service apprehended all four men shortly thereafter.

Landrieu spokesman Aaron Saunders said the senator could not comment. “Because the details of yesterday’s incident are part of an ongoing investigation by federal authorities, our office cannot comment at this time.”

O’Keefe on Thursday gave a speech to the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, a libertarian group in New Orleans.

Last fall, O’Keefe was hailed as a conservative hero for dressing as a pimp and taping ACORN employees offering advice on how he and a partner could get away with running an international under-age prostitution scheme.

UPDATED INFORMATION…

From Los Angeles Times, Anti-ACORN activist allegedly tried to tamper with senator’s phone:

…O’Keefe’s father, James O’Keefe Jr., said in a telephone interview that he wasn’t sure what his son was doing at Landrieu’s office.

“He was maybe trying to do a prank to get some information, but that’s about it,” he said. “He wouldn’t break the law. He would know better than that.”

The 55-year-old engineer in Westwood, N.J., called his son “an upstanding young man who is maybe stretching the limits a little bit.”

“He wants to hound the truth, and he’s using different tactics to get out the truth,” the elder O’Keefe said.

Statement from Andrew Breitbart:

“We have no knowledge about or connection to any alleged acts and events involving James O’Keefe at Senator Mary Landrieu’s office. We only just learned about the alleged incident this afternoon. We have no information other than what has been reported publicly by the press. Accordingly, we simply are not in a position to make any further comment.”

Cryptic Twitter tweet from James O’Keefe, dated December 31, 2009:

Recap on O’Keefe’s ACORN exposés: Baltimore, Washington DC, New York City, San Bernardino, San Diego, Philadelphia, Los Angeles. That’s seven ACORN offices caught on tape in major US cities by O’Keefe and Giles, willing to misuse taxpayer dollars to fund an illegal child prostitution ring and commit fraud. SEVEN.

Here are links to all seven of O’Keefe and Giles’ ACORN child prostitution stings, in order… the story of corruption that the mass/fringe media ignored:

Number 1: ACORN and Child Prostitution in Baltimore: New Andrew Breitbart Site, Big Government, Exposes All (video)

Number 7: Shocker: LA ACORN Says “People Do It All the Time” in California, Will Do Research for Child Sex Ring Operation, Has Had Meetings with Larry Flynt… Another O’Keefe-Giles Exposé (video)

Los Angeles: 20-year-old Hannah Giles, center, undercover as a prostitute in ACORN sting operation... correction to previous report: LA did indeed help with the child prostitution ring as all the other ACORN offices did

Related reading:
Andrew Breitbart, Big Government: MSM Leaping to Conclusions — While Big Government Waits for Facts
Big Hollywood: James O’Keefe Arrested in New Orleans
Publius, Big Government: James O’Keefe Arrested in New Orleans
Gateway Pundit: Breaking: James O’Keefe Arrested In New Orleans Phone Scheme and Breitbart Warns Eric Holder & Dems: We’ve Got More Tapes & We’ll Release Them Before the Election (Video) and Far Left Mouthpiece Marc Lamont Hill Smears O’Keefe & Giles on O’Reilly… Big Government Responds
The American Pundit: Busted Again: L.A. ACORN Office Exposed Trying to Further Underage Prostitution
Michelle Malkin: Ugh: ACORN-buster busted at Sen. Landrieu’s office in alleged bugging plot; affidavit link added and A tale of two protection rackets: ACORN’s — and the media’s
The Powers That Be: Guy Who Busted ACORN Arrested In Landrieu’s Office
Frugal Café Blog Zone: ACORN Child Prostitution Story Hits National FOX News: Breitbart’s New Political Site ‘Big Government’ Creating Big Waves (video) and Yet Another ACORN Problem: Cease and Desist Orders in Pennsylvania… Order Dated 2007 and ACORN’s Brazen $7 Million Lawsuit Against Filmmakers O’Keefe, Giles, & Breitbart Has Little Support (video) and ACORN: “We’ll Help You Get Away with Stuff” — Jay Leno, Bill O’Reilly, & Dennis Miller Weigh In (video) and ‘Big Government’s’ Breitbart Lets Major TV News Media Have It for Lying, Ignoring, or Distorting ACORN Child Hooker-Tax Fraud Scandal (video)
And so it goes in Shreveport: No Love for O’Keefe in NOLA
Ace of Spades HQ: James O’Keefe Arrested for Attempting to Bug Senator Mary Landrieu’s Offices?
Fire Andrea Mitchell!: Wow! James O’Keefe arrested in alleged wiretap plot at Mary Landrieu’s office
Mayrant&Rave: Breitbart’s O’Keefe Arrested
Ace of Spades HQ: More LA ACORN: Hey, I Totally Want to Help You Set Up This International Underage Sex-Trick Business Any Way I Can
Nice Deb: ACORN Still In The News..Not Going Down Easy and Philly Acorn Sting Video (UPDATED – Video Back Up) and Video: Breitbart’s ACORN Unveiled Press Conference and Bill O’Reilly To MN Gov. Pawlenty: Take Another Look At ACORN’s 43,000 Votes For Al Franken
Political Byline: ACORN LA Busted!
Hit & Run, Reason Magazine: Jim Rainey Brings the (Always Unintentional) Laughter
US News & World Report: ACORN Story Shows How Internet Reporting Is Beating the New York Times
UrbanGrounds: ACORN: Here’s the Best Way to Smuggle Underaged Sex Slaves into the Country
Bret Jacobson, Big Government: Would Red Cross Pimp Out Children?
Traction Control: New Hannah vid – Acorn caught in more lies
Mcnorman’s Weblog: ACORN Sting Team Releases New Video From Philadelphia Office

Categories: Conservatism, Government, Social and Political Climate
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