New Orleans — The top federal prosecutor for New Orleans has removed himself 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 Monday.
A Justice Department news release said Jim Letten, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, recused himself from the case a day after the Jan. 25 arrests in Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office in New Orleans. Letten’s top lieutenant, assistant U.S. Attorney Jan Mann, has taken over.
The news release didn’t say why Letten removed himself, and his spokeswoman Anna Christman said she couldn’t comment.
One of the suspects is the son of Letten’s Shreveport-based counterpart.
Another man who was arrested, daredevil videographer James O’Keefe, has said the group wanted to investigate complaints that constituents calling Landrieu’s office couldn’t get through to criticize her support of a health care reform bill. Landrieu’s office has said O’Keefe’s explanation is feeble, and the case should be thoroughly investigated.
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.
O’Keefe is known nationally for hidden-camera videos targeting the community-organizing group ACORN.
Comments
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 3 years, 3 months ago
Actually, Tom, what the mainstream media is not covering are recent investigations and court rulings that have largely absolved ACORN of pretty much every charge made against them. They also haven't covered the fact that the "journalism" against ACORN done by O'Keefe, the guy arrested in this story, lacks any sort of integrity, and was really no more than a sensationalist smear job.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 3 years, 3 months ago
"Eric Holder is protecting his bros."
Eric Holder isn't involved in these investigations or court rulings.
Boston_Corbett 3 years, 3 months ago
I think it is hilarious that the supporter of AG Gonzales wants to criticize one iota of anything AG Holder does.
ivalueamerica 3 years, 3 months ago
TomShewmon (Tom Shewmon) says…
WOW!
This incident is getting waaay more coverage from the lamestream media than the actual corruption of ACORN did/does.
lol, another lie brought to you buy Tom Shewmon.
If you can not speak the truth, you have nothing of value to offer, when will you learn that.
georgiahawk 3 years, 3 months ago
O'keefe is a joke! Only Faux and Friends and the rest of the right wing media consider this guy to be anything other than a joke. The right consider him to be a hero! He is, however, typical of the level of journalistic integrity that they aspire to.
snap_pop_no_crackle 3 years, 3 months ago
Come on, it's not like O'Keefe was standing outside a polling place waving a club......... (which was perfectly okay according to Let 'em Go Holder)
feeble 3 years, 3 months ago
Change O'Keefe's name to Abdul Rahman and posters on this forum would be having a seizure over the lack of security and foaming at the mouth over Obama's weakness on terror.
Once again, conservative posters are not interested in the rule of law, only the rule of the right.
a_flock_of_jayhawks 3 years, 3 months ago
TomShewmon (Tom Shewmon) says…
"This incident is getting waaay more coverage from the lamestream media than the actual corruption of ACORN did/does."
Ya think it might be due to the fact that an actual crime might have occurred?
If it had been a D that allegedly had done this to an R of similar stature, they probably would have been renditioned to an exotic location, waterboarded, and forced to make a nude human pyramid for a camera already.
jaywalker 3 years, 3 months ago
"O'keefe is a joke! Only Faux and Friends and the rest of the right wing media consider this guy to be anything other than a joke"
A joke? The kid's all of 25 and has already exposed and busted some untoward activities at Planned Parenthood and ACORN offices. No, I don't think you need to be a conservative to appreciate misdeeds being caught and halted.
arizonajh 3 years, 3 months ago
Redrooster Haiku is 5 syllables 7 syllables 5 syllables not just three lines
Not only do you not know what your talking about but you can't complete a writing task given to fifth graders.
rooster 3 years, 3 months ago
Whats new?
Watergate
Now Bayougate
The ethics of republicans is so far down the tube not even tommys lies can pull this much wool over the american citizens eyes.
Plus you'd have to be dumb as rocks not to know it's illegal in almost every state to record anything without the knowledge of those being recorded.
snap_pop_no_crackle 3 years, 3 months ago
"Louisiana Unless a criminal or tortious purpose exists, a person can record any conversations transmitted by wire, oral or electronic means to which he is a party, or when one participating party has consented...." In most states, the consent of all parties seems to not be required in order for a taping to be legal. http://www.rcfp.org/taping/quick.html You'd have to be as dumb as a box of rocks to not do some basic research before spouting off incorrect information.
rooster 3 years, 3 months ago
So Snap, I guess thats why okeefe is being sued by Acorn for violating maryland state law?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/23/lawsuit.acorn/index.html
Regardless of the state, it is almost always illegal to record a conversation to which you are not a party, do not have consent to tape, and could not naturally overhear.
And regardless of whether a state has a criminal law regarding cameras, undercover recording in a private place can prompt civil lawsuits for invasion of privacy.
http://www.rcfp.org/taping/index.html
So who's right SNAP?
jumpin_catfish 3 years, 3 months ago
bozo said: Actually, Tom, what the mainstream media is not covering are recent investigations and court rulings that have largely absolved ACORN of pretty much every charge made against them. They also haven't covered the fact that the “journalism” against ACORN done by O'Keefe, the guy arrested in this story, lacks any sort of integrity, and was really no more than a sensationalist smear job.
So bozo this guy is pretty much like Keith Olbermann
georgiahawk 3 years, 3 months ago
Jaywalker, he is a joke! Evidenced by the fact that the punch line is how Faux News treats him like a hero. Can you not see the humor?
snap_pop_no_crackle 3 years, 3 months ago
Keep rocking your box, rooster.
jaywalker 3 years, 3 months ago
Sorry, georgia, but did you just say that your basis for calling O'Keefe a joke isn't based on anything substantial, just that if Fox lauds him he's immediately without credibility? Brillliant. I don't watch Fox and I've never heard this 'hero' stuff, but the guy's done some solid work in investigative journalism. Attempting to bug a Senator's office might just land him in prison for a while, not sure how I feel about that stuff, could be going too far.
Wise up, georgia, it's that type of factless, weak, purely partisan thinking that keeps dividing this country. Try fair and rational. Tastes better.
arizonajh 3 years, 3 months ago
Sorry ComradeRedRooster for killing your buzz. I thought you might like to know how clueless you sound when you say stupid things but I see you've embraced the ignorance.
georgiahawk 3 years, 3 months ago
No Jay, the fact that Faux news treats him as some journalistic hero doing the work that no one else in the media is daring enough to tackle (can you see how the joke is running now? he is dressed up in a pimp outfit from the 70's and Faux news is fawning over him) is only the punch line. The rest of O'Keefe is the joke!!! (hint: go back to original post by me "O'Keefe is a joke!")
a_flock_of_jayhawks 3 years, 3 months ago
TomShewmon (Tom Shewmon) says…
"Our newest survey looking at perceptions of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and NBC News finds Fox as the only one that more people say they trust than distrust. 49% say they trust it to 37% who do not."
Mr. Shewmon, this is perhaps one of your best posts ever. For only 49% to say they trust it (going by the formula and analysis you apply to Presidential job approval numbers), then Fox News is dropping at light speed into utter and complete failure and disgrace. 51% don't say they trust it? By GOP logic, that would be a mandate. No room for discussion, nope, no one wants it, it's bad and wrong - badong!
Now for the 37% that do not trust it. That's a fairly high number no matter how you slice it.
somedude20 3 years, 3 months ago
O'Keefe is going to have a lot of time for "Fauxing" when he goes to the "big house" or as the GOP refers to jail as "Temptation Island"
Agnostick 3 years, 3 months ago
flock makes an interesting point. right_thinker again breaks out the knee pads in the service of almighty Faux News. Digging and digging and digging for validation, anywhere he can find it.
Does the head cheerleader finally have some good news?
Kinda.
Again... "reading is fundamental."
Same link right_thinker hangs his tinfoil hat on... starting with the paragraph right below the one right_thinker stops with...
"Predictably there is a lot of political polarization in which outlets people trust. 74% of Republicans trust Fox News, but no more than 23% trust any of the other four sources. We already knew that conservatives don't trust the mainstream media but this data is a good prism into just how deep that distrust runs.
"For Democrats the numbers are a complete opposite- a majority trust all of ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC while only 30% have faith in Fox News. Continuing the trend in our polling over the last few months that independents hate everything, a plurality of them distrust all five outlets we looked at."
The last paragraph provides an interesting summary.
"These numbers suggest quite a shift in what Americans want from their news. A generation ago Walter Cronkite was the most trusted man in the country because of his neutrality. Now people trust Fox the most precisely because of its lack of neutrality. It says a lot about where journalism is headed."
Sooooo... a certain segment of the population watches a biased news network that lacks neutrality... and then claims that network to be "most trusted," because said network tells them exactly what they want to hear.
Isn't that like the winged monkeys nodding their heads and telling their mistress, "Yes, yes, Wicked Witch of the West... we trust you a lot more than we trust Glinda!"
If you go to the page that right_thinker links to, at the bottom there's a link that says "Full results here." It leads to this PDF of the results:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_National_126.pdf
Maybe the next time right_thinker goes out chasing cars, he'll be lucky enough to catch this truck:
RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) by Mike Gardner
Agnostick agnostick@excite.com
Agnostick 3 years, 3 months ago
Since remedial_thinker still has some catching up to do, the link to the full results of the survey...
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_National_126.pdf
includes the following:
Fox the most trusted name in news?
Raleigh, N.C. – A new poll asking Americans whether they trust each of the major television news operations in the country finds that the only one getting a positive review is Fox News. CNN does next best followed by NBC News, then CBS News, and finally ABC News.
49% of Americans say they trust Fox News to 37% who disagree. Predictably there is a large party split on this with 74% of Republicans but only 30% of Democrats saying they trust the right leaning network.
CNN does next best because it is the second most trusted of Democrats, Republicans, and independents. 39% say they trust it compared to 41% who do not, with 59% of Democrats, 33% of independents and 23% of Republicans saying it carries credibility with them.
The major networks all have the majority trust of Democrats but less than 20% from Republicans. NBC, perhaps because of the ideological bent of MSNBC, does the best among Democrats at 62%. Overall 35% of voters trust it to 44% who do not. CBS does the worst among Republicans, with 69% distrusting it. A plurality of independents express distrust of all five outlets we tested.
“A generation ago you would have expected Americans to place their trust in the most neutral and unbiased conveyors of news,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “But the media landscape has really changed and now they’re turning more toward the outlets that tell them what they want to hear.”
PPP conducted a national survey of 1,151 registered voters on January 18th and 19th. The survey’s margin of error is +/-2.8%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
Complete results are attached and can be found at www.publicpolicypolling.com.
Title ends with a question mark. In other words, "we can't be 100% sure about this."
Interesting that while Faux comes in #1 with one political slice, CNN comes in #2 across the whole pie.
And as the numbers (inadvertently) provided by right_thinker last week clearly indicate... cable news numbers still pale in comparison to the traditional broadcast networks.
Which kinda begs the question...
If Faux is so "trusted"... why aren't more people switching from the brodcasters over to the cablecasters?
--Ag
Agnostick 3 years, 3 months ago
Quick followup... sources cited following each quote or group of stats:
Percentage of households that possess at least one television: 99 Number of TV sets in the average U.S. household: 2.24 Percentage of U.S. homes with three or more TV sets: 66 Number of hours per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home: 6 hours, 47 minutes Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66 Number of hours of TV watched annually by Americans: 250 billion Value of that time assuming an average wage of S5/hour: S1.25 trillion Percentage of Americans who pay for cable TV: 56
Percentage of local TV news broadcast time devoted to advertising: 30 Percentage devoted to stories about crime, disaster and war: 53.8 Percentage devoted to public service announcements: 0.7 Percentage of Americans who can name The Three Stooges: 59 Percentage who can name at least three justices of the U.S. Supreme Court: 17
http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html
"During this period [five quarters running from Q4 2007 to Q4 2008], households with broadcast only (i.e., no cable or satellite service) TVs declined from 11.5 percent to 10.9 percent while cable or satellite service has increased slightly from 88.5 percent to 89.1 percent. This increase may be related to the upcoming transition to digital television that was originally set to take place in February 2009.
"Satellite service grew modestly as well, from 28.0 percent to 28.8 percent. Cable or satellite service with pay channels, such as HBO, Showtime and Cinemax, has grown steadily over the five quarters, from 47.0 percent to 49.4 percent."
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/household-tv-trends-holding-steady-nielsen%E2%80%99s-economic-study-2008/
Looking at the PDF summary provided by Public Policy Polling, it's clear that they used an automated, push-button telephone poll. They list the questions they used, and the responses offered.
I'm beginning to suspect that these folks missed a critical distinction in their research. I wonder how many respondents were basing their answers on...
Fox News CNN ABC News etc.
as opposed to...
<p>www.foxnews.com www.cnn.com www.abcnews.com etc.Is it an important distinction? Shouldn't the first question have been...
"Does your household pay for cable or satellite television service?"
Just a thought...
jaywalker 3 years, 3 months ago
georgia,
That's very very sad on your part.
Art 3 years, 3 months ago
"daredevil videographer James O’Keefe?"
Well, that's kind of aggrandizing, isn't it? How about "fake wanna-be pimp James O'Keefe?"
ivalueamerica 3 years, 3 months ago
Tom, you are a liar, and not even a good one. The ACORN coverage (and I think ACORN should be closed) got way more press than this.
The fact that you lie to make a point makes you pointless.
ivalueamerica 3 years, 3 months ago
Tom,
once again, you make up lies and present them as the truth, I am sure you would burst into flames if you ever told the truth again in your life, it just ain't in your blood.
I Know Senator Pelosi, met her when I worked in DC before she became speaker and I do not respect her. Neither did I support Obama during the election though I do admit voting for him, but that was more thanks to Palin than McCain.
However, keep telling lies, it just shows that you have nothing of substance ...ever.
and the facts about the coverage do not bear out your lie, but again, you know you are lieing so why bother wasting my typing to a habitual liar such as yourself.
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