U.S. Attorney Steps Down From O’Keefe Case
by PubliusFrom FoxNews:
The same day the man who first published James O’Keefe’s explosive videos exposing wrongdoing at community organizer ACORN came to his defense Monday, claiming the conservative filmmaker “sat in jail for 28 hours without access to an attorney” while the prosecutor made his case to the media, the U.S. attorney involved stepped down.
O’Keefe, accused of trying to tamper with the phones of Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, was “framed” by the media and the U.S. attorney’s office, Andrew Breitbart, publisher of BigGovernment.com, told Fox News Monday.
Hours later, Jim Letten, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, recused himself from the case.
The Department of Justice announced the change in a news release Monday night, but did not say why Letten wanted off the case.
Click here to read the affidavit.
“James O’Keefe sat in jail for 28 hours without access to an attorney, while the U.S. attorney leaked the information about his arrest, helping the media frame it as ‘Watergate Junior,’” Breitbart said.
O’Keefe declined to talk about Breitbart’s allegations on Fox News Monday night, adding he was cooperating with the U.S. attorney’s office and he was pleased with the way the U.S. attorney was handling the case.
He said details of his arrest may be brought up at another time, but not now because it is an ongoing investigation.
“The panty bomber on Christmas was given — you know, this guy’s from Al Qaeda, and he’s not even an American citizen, and he’s given access to an attorney right away. I believe that this was a concerted effort, this is just my opinion, to allow for the media to frame the issue to put James O’Keefe in a very bad position.”
Breitbart said he though the U.S. attorney’s effort was part of a payback scheme against O’Keefe, who posed as a pimp and prostitute with another citizen journalist to enter ACORN offices around the country and get advice on how to apply for federal housing grants for a brothel.
Read the whole article here.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
337 Comments
The left shoots themselves in the foot, head and butt all the time in their hilarious quest to prosecute some patriot. They lose. Good work Andrew and thanks Publius for the article. Andrew, you need to watch more of Burn Notice and White Collar on TV…lol.
Sorry but I will be off topic again but couldn't resist: http://www.jerrypournelle.com:80/images/2010/Bush...
Even though I do have my issues with this man.
James: After watching your interview by Sean, "I got a thrill up my leg" that there would be some explosive stuff come out of this… Evidently, the effects of this will be far reaching and take down some nasty people now that the cats head is out of the bag with the U.S. Attorney recusing himself in light of you being denied an attorney for 28 hrs! Stay cool and lay it on those jerks.
"Better the devil you know than the devil you don't" I in no way equate President Bush to the devil (Obama is a different story), but just goes to show that people couldn't wait to get rid of him, but look what we get in his place…
Cowboy: hee-haw! That is some funny $hit about Boob Spackle. He really needs to step away from the donut box.
Thought he was going to have a heart attack, you could hear him labor to breath the whole time he was on.
Didn't they let the Panty Bomber lawyer up, after only 50 minutes of questioning?
It appears there is a double standard in America, and reverse racism.
Eric Holder. Traitor and racist…
I'm sure ol Bob would know what a Good Prostitute looks like, Liberals like him are always on the wrong side of the issue and constantly on the wrong side of the American people.. I hate listening to him but I know everytime he talks his side looks worse…
Another enormously successful PR sting by the A-Team.
No he realize's it, and like all patriots hes will to risk what ever it takes to bring them down !!!
OK, I'll say it first, hopefully before one of the wondering trolls shows up, Hannity tossed him softballs, but you could tell that Hannity knew more than what he is letting on & was trying to be careful not to let something out.
James did good by "not going into to it." That is a smart move because if he said anything, intentional or not, that would contradict evidence, then he could make things worse. It is always dangerous to do interviews with the media when you're involved in a court case, things can get very twisted around. Ain't that right Retracto?—Sorry, wrong Big site
Why is O'Keefe being charged for a felony while the Salahis (you know, the White House party crashers) didn't get charged by the government immediately and get thrown in jail? In both situations: 1. people pretended to be someone they weren't and 2. accessed areas of the Federal government where they shouldn't have. However, that Salahis offenses were 1-million times worse and caused a national security breach. I'd say that the US Government should be consistent, but instead, it's raking O'Keefe over the coals because he tried to embarrass them whereas Salahis only embarrassed themselves.
I find it kinda hilarious that you people can claim that this criminal/moron Jimmy O'Keefe is some kind of a hero who has been set up by Democrats! You people really are serious, aren't you? HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I begin to wonder just how deep Andy B. was involved in all this? Certainly explains his paranoid and desperate defense of Jimmy. Can't wait for all the facts come out to how involved Andy is in this criminal act!
Come on boys and girls…. come see me at MMfA, if you dare?
Yeah. The democrat party……………in Louisiana.
Great Point. There will most likely be more startling fact about this case when/if the recordings are released.
YAAAAAAAHHHHHH, our first troll of the blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Took you long enough!
We can smell your fear. Go back and fap with the other trolls at Media Splatters. We're not missing anything.
"Can't wait for all the facts come out to how involved Andy is in this criminal act!"
Hold your breath – HARD!
My guess is a few will show and kick your faggott ass…
Well done James, keep up the good work!
Excellent comparison you make there.
Also, O'Keefe (on Hannity this evening) said that he was not engaged in nor attempting any hijacking/bugging of Landrieu's phone, wasn't even handling her phones — so that allegation by the Left is utterly ridiculous as it is also deceitful, if O'Keefe and his two companions are correct (and I don't have any cause so far to think that they are not). It seems that they were, perhaps (O'Keefe and his two others at the scene), "amped up" by frantic, hysterical leftwing needs to impune them once identified in Landrieu's office, and, that it's Landrieu/staff who need to be charged with filing a false police report…
Its all about who you worship! ;^)
And just how, specifically, is O'Keefe a "criminal/moron" (either or both)?
He is not either (nor both) and you're just doing what Leftists do: making stuff up that disparages others just because you think you're entitled to destroy others or whatever the reason may be today.
28 hours without access to an attorney??? Don't they regularly throw out cases for violations less than this? Oh, that's right…<sarc – he's actually a U.S. citizen and therefore not afforded the same Constitutional rights as foreign terrorists. </sarc
Expect the libtard trolls from MediaMasters and the Kos kids to be out in full force tonight.
That's ridiculous. O'Keefe himself said on Hannity that he had no complaints about his treatment in the clink. It's not necessary to slander the state of Louisiana, which is one of if not THE most conservative states in America at present.
Take it back.
RUDEEE, be (somewhat) nice, the troll can't help that it's mentally challenged.
Hours later, Jim Letten, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, recused himself from the case. (Courtesy of Publius) I believe Letten seen the writing on the wall or maybe the Kool Aid is wearing off!
It's pathetic to see Senators conduct themselves in a way the way Mary Landrieu did and then see her office decline to accept any phone calls from concerned citizens. To make matters worse, enter an activist to do some investigative work only to be discovered, arrested, falsely accused of his actions by lame stream media, and then have the US Attorney frame him! I am certainly happy Letten recused himself!
There is much less to the recusal than you think:
http://thehayride.com/2010/02/letten-officially-r...
I predict that we will find out that it was entrapment. I can't help but wonder whose idea it was to film Landrieu's office in the first place. I would like to know more about the young man Robert Flanagan whose father is Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan of Shreveport, LA. I think the young men walked into a trap that day.
Very good point.
It'll be interesting if anyone in D.C. has the balls to file charges against Mary Landrieu and/or staff, whoever it was who filed the bogus allegations with the police as to O'Keefe "wiretapping" their "phones" or whatever they've outrageously alleged he was doing there.
O'Keefe's a member of the public, Landrieu's office is public access (and she's a public employee). O'Keefe, as with any citizen, had every right to enter and take a seat there, as he apparently did without threats, violence or anything else. His "crime" seems to be that he was wearing a repairman's uniform — in which case, I guess we should arrest posthumously Micheal Jackson, what with his many "uniforms" worn everywhere/anywhere, for years, as also his two children in his recent memorial or whatever it was that used the two children of his to promote a film or whatever: they wore what appeared to be "uniforms" (black jackets, bottoms, red stripes around arms and on chests, uniformed dressing).
The "charge" against O'Keefe was and is bogus. It's a false statement made against a peaceful citizen for purposes of trying to ruin him. It's what the mob and other Democrats do, they ruin people they don't like or can't use.
James, you may well be better off having a pimp or prostitute represent you in Louisiana.
With behind closed doors negotiations, you'll probably walk free and with all charges dropped.
MMfA? Is that a reference to Soros-funded Media Matters? Are you aware that Soros, a Hungarian Jew, collaborated with Nazis in their prosecution of the Holocaust during World War II? Soros admitted this.
I take it that by associating yourself with a Soros meat puppet like Media Matters you condone what he did during World War II?
We anxiously await your answer.
Has anybody seen that douchebag Syntax around here today? No? Funny, I thought he'd be posting apologies for being as gullible as any human being on the planet in his devotion to HuffPo and MSNBC. So in less than a week the story has gone from, "Conservative activist arrested for attempting to tamper with Senator's phone lines," to "Attorney General steps down from case amid charges of improprieties," and "Major news outlets all retract incorrect accusations leaked by unnamed source."
Sucks to be a Liberal, huh?
This is kind of fun! All you people really are so convinced of your brilliance and knowledge and being totally correct in your break down of the story.
Did any of you actually hear Jimmy contradict Andy's 28 hour conspiracy on InSanity's little show, that he had no complaints about how the AG office was handling the situation… or do you people only hear what you want to hear?
That smell is the fear coming from Andy, not I
Your wife says "hello" and such. I thought you wanted to know it.
So, potential threats of violence is your answer (or hope?) to my post… brilliant!
Yes, but it can take awhile to get to that point. But from the body language of Hannity, James there is much more to this than what is being told.
It is not unheard of, but….. having the prosecutor recuse himself this quickly brings up some interesting questions.
If there was any honesty in the MSM, this story would be enormous. The Underwear Bomber who tries to murder 300 people gets a lawyer within 50 minutes, but a US citizen attempting to expose a lie being told by a Senator is illegally detained without a lawyer for 28 hours?
Luckily for the officials involved, the MSM has no integrity anymore so they should be safe.
You see, we agree on a number of things.
Thanks! I hadn't thought of this in relation to the crashers.
He attempted to tamper with the phone system of a sitting US Senator! Whether for nefarious reasons or a joke makes no damn difference. It was a crime! Plain and simple.
If the roles were reversed and Jimmy was a liberal or lefty or whatever other name you people like to call people like me… I'd be demanding the same thing! That the punk goes to jail for committing a crime!
One good thing, Indy and Des, is that he appeared on Hannity. The same Hannity who, thanks to his perseverance, saw justice done in the Duke Lacrosse case.
Your funny!
Soros has nothing to do with MMfA. Contrary to what the right-wing corporate owned media, specifically Cluster Fox loves to propagate and lie about
Can you hear your own echo chamber?
Truer words never spoken
Nope… but you can certainly hear yours!!
booo!
You have no argument. You are harping on such a small "discrepancy" and ignoring the fact that there were no wiretapping charges?
You know what, I think i'm going to say that he did not have an attorney for 10 hours. Oops, random person contradicted someone else's statement >.> it must all be lies.
Problem with your argument there, police have stated that there was no attempt to interfere with the phone systems .
http://www.politico.com/static/PPM145_new_012610….
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/01/27...
Problem with your argument there, police have stated that there was no attempt to interfere with the phone systems .
http://www.politico.com/static/PPM145_new_012610….
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/01/27...
Andrew needs to say this early and often! Great point!
The left gets carried away with their narrative. They are sooo certain of themselves that they routinely get blind sided by the obvious. I hope this is yet another example of the msm and libs opening their mouths only to insert their other foot.
Thanks for the info. I was hoping there was more to it.
It was trolling around this morning
28hrs ……..WTF
the crime was that your parents were pro-life and they had to have you. waste of DNA if you ask me.
Head on back to Kos and re-read you trolling points memo for today, retard.
Your mommy just called. Pizza is ready upstairs. Go ahead…..go on.
"James O’Keefe sat in jail for 28 hours without access to an attorney"
meanwhile
“The panty bomber on Christmas was given — you know, this guy’s from Al Qaeda, and he’s not even an American citizen, and he’s given access to an attorney right away"
proving a point I've been making for years. For the left, Republicans are the true (and only) enemy. Al Qaeda, Iran, Saddam, Mao, Stalin, Che… they're just misunderstood.
Soros doesn't have an honest bone in his body.
MediaMasters can suck it!
In all fairness to the Atty. Gen. … Janet Napolitano DID create a report on the threat of right wing extremist terrorists (AKA anyone not them). James clearly fit the bill. Maybe they were waiting for Obama's new Elite Team Of Interrogators to arrive. James clearly looks like an evil, wily terrorist type – you know way more than a guy screaming allah akhbar and shooting up the joint or a guy with a panty load of explosive.
Just curious pal. What do you think should happen to Jim Letten, the U.S. attorney who violated Mr. O'Keefes rights?
"It's a crime" Right? "Plain and simple" Right?
If the roles were reversed and that was John Ashcroft down there running things in LA well……….then what?
Yeah…. I know….. a little tongue tied now… aren't you?
last week mr.meadows and ms. olberman spent 3hrs. in 2 days busting james chops,bet their sucking each others wind now….
Not getting into the inter-state battles… but I DID speculate a game was afoot right after the arrest….
Vindication might be better than sex…. well, it's pretty darn sweet anyway…
He didn't tamper with the phone system. They had no wiretapping equipment. He was there to show that Landrieu's staff was ignoring the constituents. That's not a crime.
And you know perfectly well that if this story was reversed and it was a liberal 'journalist' attempting to tamper with the phones (intentional or not) of a Republican Senator all you people here would be demanding blood! Don't deny it, you know it is true! That's why I cannot possibly take any of you people seriously at all!!
Even if it turns out that he did not commit an actual crime… I fully expect you people to unnecessarily pour it on against the main-stream media! If and assuming a liberal does decide to break into a Republican office someday, I fully expect you people to not have the capacity to not see the hypocrisy in your expected reaction to it.
I saw gump earlier. He changed his AV to James' mugshot. I suspect he'll show up for his regular beating soon, just as he did in Jr. High when the gang used to pin him on the ground, give him pink belly, stuff him in his locker, magic marker his weenie……..
"Your funny! "
It's YOU'RE funny. As in YOU ARE funny. Not "your." Learn the difference if YOU'RE going to call someone a "moron," genius.
Typical Libtard.
I have to presume your speaking to me… I do not waste my time at the Daily Kos. I do however like to seek out how and what the other side thinks. I have to say, this blind faith in Jimmy O'Keefe's innocence is kind of funny. That the people here are basing his automatic innocence on his words.
Also, there is no need to project your own feelings about yourself on me by calling me that name. Oh well
Media Matters for America? Why would I want to indulge the whims of some troll asshole like you and waste my time there?
You add nothing to this discussion, except right-wing ignorance and vile! I shall simply ignore your future replies to me.
Brilliant retort, now go back and play with the Media Matters kids before you start to rile the adults up.
If it WERE a liberal journalist (talk about an oxymoron!) no one would have heard about the incident.
"Even if it turns out that he did not commit an actual crime" – quite a departure from your opening statement, eh?
Can you prove that allegation that Soros is not tied to Media Matters? Or does MMfA stand for something else?
If he doesn't fund or have anything to do with MediaMatters… that would've been plastered all over MSNBC, CBS, ABC & CNN just to prove Fox and GBeck wrong. But it hasn't been… hmmmm.
What do you know that they don't know?
CaptFister: I look forward to seeing you in a future Red Eye Theatre installment. Thanks for playing.
We know for sure that Mr. Letten violated his rights? Who says? Fixed News?
Why is Jimmy on TV speaking about this? Whether the criminal charges are legit or not makes no difference. Fox is potentially undermining the law by allowing him to speak about this matter! An example of the damage this does is this very forum… all these opinions about his innocence based on Jimmy's answers to Sean Hannity's questions long before any trial or meeting of law enforcement to determine whether the charges shall stand.
John Ashcroft? Why bring this criminal up?
How tragic to see the gross disparity by the Justice Dept and by the drive by media of convicting James in the media while refusing a US american citizen an attorney for 28 hours—–yet we gave the panty bomber a lawyer in 50 minutes. God bless you andrew and your blogs. I hope you will shout this out in all of the talk shows tomorrow since this hit tonight. I wrote my US Senator (Cronyn) tonight begging him to investigate this matter and begin impeachment of Holder and cleaning huse of abusive US Attorneys ( remember alaska and the very recent Orange county California abuses by US Attorneys in the Nicholas Case).
Glad to meet you, Capt Fister… mind if I don't shake?
Can you answer a question for me? How is it that liberals know what teabagging is, but conservatives don't? Is it something like a secret liberal handshake?
Excellent point!
They even testified in front of a CONgressional hearing, and plead the 5th. Ammendment. It stinks.
James, the terrorist! WTF is happening? Holder resign NOW!
You must be from Texas. It's a known fact that the difference between a coonass and a jackass is the Sabine River.
He sure is involved with them. He is filth.
I had no idea that proper English was necessary for discussion in an Internet forum, especially one with so many grammatical errors abound. Certainly coming from those you agree with.
Or does that only apply to liberals?
Typical tea bagging hypocrite!
You wouldn't recognize it if it bashed your head in.
All you people really are so convinced of your brilliance and knowledge and being totally correct in your break down of the story.
Oh look. Projection.
[...] [...]
With NO lotion………………………………..he deserves a dry fisting.
You should have said "where so many grammatical errors abound".
Since you call Conservatives, Libertarians, Independents and Republicans "tea baggers" does that mean that Fascists, Marxists, Socialists and Democrats are "tea baggees"?
[...] Big Government reports: James O’Keefe sat in jail for 28 hours without access to an attorney, while the U.S. attorney leaked the information about his arrest, helping the media frame it as ‘Watergate Junior,’” Breitbart said. [...]
Hi, Captain Fister!
Mommy know you climbed the safety gate and got loose…?
Well… its been fun children!
I'm going to leave now and not come back. I have decided it is better to try and talk to actual adults and have proper discussions with decent people. Something not possible in a room full of breathe taking ignorance and blatant disregard of reality.
Enjoy your group think sessions people.
I wonder if this will make the front page of the New York Times… maggots
Dooney, you're confusing Mr. O'Keefe with Mr Flanagan, and Mr. Basel, whom:
According to the FBI affidavit, Flanagan and Basel entered the federal building at 500 Poydras Street on Monday about 11 a.m., dressed as telephone company employees, wearing jeans, fluorescent green vests, tool belts and hard hats.
As far as I know Mr. O'Keefe was in civilian clothes in Ms. Landrieus' office and not in "uniform".
Adios.
Vaya con dios.
Come back when you want enlightened.
Mutus sicuti Gehenna?
LOL!
Why ignore him? He was right.
Ohhhhhh Now Fox is undermining the law!?? Ok…………………
And thanks for reinforcing my Ashcroft point.
He Needs' Governm't Funding.
Less.
Could it be that this was the sting all along? To expose the criminal bias of the radical Left in collusion with the lame stream media? What a coup this might turn out to be for young James! This story is growing some pretty long legs.
come on cap. its time for your meds.
Oh my! The "I know you are but what am I?" retort – hey, this could be Peewee Herman!
You must be logged in to post a comment.