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Statement from James O'Keefe
BigGovernment.com ^ | Jan 29, 2010 | James O'Keefe

Posted on 01/29/2010 8:29:50 AM PST by BAW

The government has now confirmed what has always been clear: No one tried to wiretap or bug Senator Landrieu’s office. Nor did we try to cut or shut down her phone lines. Reports to this effect over the past 48 hours are inaccurate and false.

As an investigative journalist, my goal is to expose corruption and lack of concern for citizens by government and other institutions, as I did last year when our investigations revealed the massive corruption and fraud perpetrated by ACORN. For decades, investigative journalists have used a variety of tactics to try to dig out and reveal the truth.

I learned from a number of sources that many of Senator Landrieu’s constituents were having trouble getting through to her office to tell her that they didn’t want her taking millions of federal dollars in exchange for her vote on the healthcare bill. When asked about this, Senator Landrieu’s explanation was that, “Our lines have been jammed for weeks.” I decided to investigate why a representative of the people would be out of touch with her constituents for “weeks” because her phones were broken. In investigating this matter, we decided to visit Senator Landrieu’s district office – the people’s office – to ask the staff if their phones were working.

On reflection, I could have used a different approach to this investigation, particularly given the sensitivities that people understandably have about security in a federal building. The sole intent of our investigation was to determine whether or not Senator Landrieu was purposely trying to avoid constituents who were calling to register their views to her as their Senator. We video taped the entire visit, the government has those tapes, and I’m eager for them to be released because they refute the false claims being repeated by much of the mainstream media.

It has been amazing to witness the journalistic malpractice committed by many of the organizations covering this story. MSNBC falsely claimed that I violated a non-existent “gag order.” The Associated Press incorrectly reported that I “broke in” to an office which is open to the public. The Washington Post has now had to print corrections in two stories on me. And these are just a few examples of inaccurate and false reporting. The public will judge whether reporters who can’t get their facts straight have the credibility to question my integrity as a journalist.


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: acorn; ap; corruptgov; jamesokeefe; landrieu; louisiana; marylandrieu; mediabias; msnbc; okeefe
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To: BAW

Love this guy...man, we need more young journalists like this.


21 posted on 01/29/2010 8:41:53 AM PST by NMEwithin
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To: BAW

Can he sue the newspaper for getting the story wrong and making him look bad?


22 posted on 01/29/2010 8:41:53 AM PST by Feline_AIDS (Boop boop hoop yeah!)
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To: BAW

Well, let’s hope he isn’t telling us how morally correct he is from a Federal prison...


23 posted on 01/29/2010 8:42:56 AM PST by sissyjane (He had a dream. We got a nightmare!)
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To: BAW
Confirms my idea that the phone guys were there as a card to expose a lie. I don’t think they were there to touch the phones, just to expose her staff’s claim that the phones were broke.
24 posted on 01/29/2010 8:43:01 AM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult (The man who said "there's no such thing as a stupid question" has never talked to Helen Thomas.)
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To: WhistlingPastTheGraveyard

I agree. It’s not just liberals who should have to apologize to O’Keefe. Many were willing to toss him aside without giving O’Keefe time to defend himself.


25 posted on 01/29/2010 8:43:21 AM PST by Heartlander2
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To: Feline_AIDS

I think the term made famous during the OJ trial comes to mind here.....’Rush to judgement’ perfectly describes MSNBC’s coverage of the non-event.


26 posted on 01/29/2010 8:44:22 AM PST by milwguy
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To: Oldpuppymax; BAW
It has been amazing to witness the journalistic malpractice committed by many of the organizations covering this story

Well when you attack one of Pravda's sacred cows, they will do all in their power to take you down.....

Pravda speaks!


27 posted on 01/29/2010 8:45:29 AM PST by whatisthetruth
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To: BAW
"The public will judge whether reporters who can’t get their facts straight have the credibility to question my integrity as a journalist.

It sounds like a case for a judgement in favor of a damage lawsuit for James O'Keefe.

28 posted on 01/29/2010 8:46:02 AM PST by jonrick46 (We're being water boarded with the sewage of Fascism.)
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To: mbarker12474
"Why did he go to a wiring closet? Or did he?"

The state run media said he did! It must be true!!

(dripping with sarcasm)

29 posted on 01/29/2010 8:46:04 AM PST by airborne ("Peace, Love, Dope" has now become "Hope, Change, Obama" !!!)
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To: WhistlingPastTheGraveyard

There is certainly no shortage of candidates willing to form a circular firing squad around here.


30 posted on 01/29/2010 8:49:40 AM PST by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger ....)
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To: WhistlingPastTheGraveyard
If you really want to know why we lose, that thread is a perfect example.

And there are many, MANY more examples like that thread!!!

Thank you for pointing this out.

31 posted on 01/29/2010 8:49:52 AM PST by Just A Nobody ( (Better Dead than RED! NEVER AGAIN...Support our Troops! Beware the ENEMEDIA))
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To: BAW

Unless you really knew what you are doing, it is very difficult to tap anyone’s phone line (which is why the government does it in the Central Office and not on the suspects site).

I have been in thousands of phone closets, most are dirty, messed up, wires going everywhere, and seldom marked as to what is what.

Add to the fact that most offices have multiple lines, you would have to tap all of them. With modern phone systems a “private number” is just a reference in programming. In coming and outgoing calls for everyone share the physical lines. It is the PBX programming that knows where a particular incoming call should ring.

Add to that a lot of lines are digital and if you were to tap into them all you would hear is a hissing sound.

Wiretapping a business is not as simple as they show it in the movies and on television.

I should add in all my years as a telephone repair tech (it is allowed for us to listen to lines as we troubleshoot) I never heard an interesting conversation. I would guess 90% of the calls I listen too were personal and most of them were boring. Oh, if you got dropped while talking to your BFF that was me getting you off the line so I could do what I had to do.

I should further add I was seldom stopped or questioned as I roamed the hallways with my tool belt on. People just assumed (rightly in my case) I had a right to be there.


32 posted on 01/29/2010 8:49:58 AM PST by CIB-173RDABN
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To: BAW
It was reported that they sought access to and went into the phone wiring closet. That would be trouble if true.

If not, the policeman who wrote it up should be questioned and the person who made that claim should be charged with providing false information.

I'm not aware of any "impersonating a phone repairman" statutes, as long as they didn't touch the phone system.

33 posted on 01/29/2010 8:50:22 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: BAW

One of the major lessons learned from this is that the feds will go to any length to stop audio and video tapes from going online. It is possible they will trump up charges so they have an excuse to confiscate media. The ACORN tapes embarrassed them. The Town Hall meeting tapes humiliated them. The Tea Party tapes frightened them. Expect more of this.

I am not excusing James’ tactics here, but I remain convinced that it is possible the feds would have pulled in all of his audio and video under one pretense or another.


34 posted on 01/29/2010 8:53:02 AM PST by ruralvoter
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To: HereInTheHeartland

“Why did he go to a wiring closet? Or did he?”

HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE REST ROOM

DID IT SAY KEEP OUT OR NO TRESPASSING?


35 posted on 01/29/2010 8:53:53 AM PST by aumrl (let's keep it real Conservatives -)
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To: BAW
Well...at the very least, he’s brought a lot of attention to the story of Mary Landrieu and how her constituants have been trying for weeks to call and complain about her (bought and paid for) vote on the Health Care Reform legislation.

...and for some unknown reason have had difficulty getting through.

Hmmm...

36 posted on 01/29/2010 8:56:15 AM PST by Tex-Con-Man
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To: airborne
"Why did he go to a wiring closet? Or did he?"
The state run media said he did! It must be true!!

The contention that they sought access to the telephone closet was not an invention of the "state run media", it was in the official police report. It was a contention of Witness 1 to the police.

If it's not true, its not the mainstream media's fabrication, but either the arresting officer or the witness.

37 posted on 01/29/2010 8:59:41 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: WhistlingPastTheGraveyard
I'll never forget the folks on the Original Thread who couldn't wait to throw this kid under the bus... after everything he risked his neck to do.

If you really want to know why we lose, that thread is a perfect example.

It was the same in the Scott Brown threads where multiple Freepers were citing it a lost cause due to potential vote fraud or that Scott Brown was not a true conservative and should not get any support.

It is Freepers like these that need to grow up and stop acting like whipped dogs. When the opportunity to strike at the heart of liberalism presents itself, we should be united in our efforts to win.

Instead, we fall on each other like a pack of jackals.

38 posted on 01/29/2010 9:00:32 AM PST by Erik Latranyi (Too many conservatives urge retreat when the war of politics doesn't go their way.)
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To: BAW

I read the Affadavit filed by the FBI last night after it was posted on another thread. It seems to me the “crime” if there is one, comes down to ‘entering a federal building under false pretenses’ - or something like that.

I can’t help but think if Cindy Sheehan or someone from Code Pink showed up at, say, an Army Recruiting office with the intention of protesting and disrupting things, but told them that they “wanted to sign up” it would be grounds for arrest. But isn’t it about the same thing? James and his cohorts lied about who they were and why they were there, that’s true, but where is the “crime”?


39 posted on 01/29/2010 9:00:59 AM PST by bigbob
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To: Heartlander2; tgusa; Just A Nobody
"The great failing of conservatives is that they do not retrieve their wounded."
- Whittaker Chambers
40 posted on 01/29/2010 9:01:36 AM PST by WhistlingPastTheGraveyard (Some men just want to watch the world burn.)
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