More photos keep coming to light courtesy of Breitbart and they do appear to show Brooklyn Democrat Rep. Anthony Weiner in less than a flattering light. Does this mean that the crotch-photo that lit up the Twitterverse is legitimately Weiner, or that Weiner sent the photo himself?
That's still an open question, but it appears that the Yfrog exploit is going to turn out to be the side-story. Yfrog had a vulnerability that could explain how someone could take photos and insert them into Weiner's twitter-stream without him knowing. That exploit may or may not have been fixed, but the news today doesn't appear to be good for Weiner.
Weiner could still claim that his accounts were hacked and that he never intended to send either the crotch photo or these newly released photos, but that would end up requiring forensic proof showing that he didn't do so or that his account was hacked.
If these do appear to be legitimate and Weiner has actually sent these photos, including the crotch-photo to other people through Twitter, then Weiner's political career is likely done. After all, similar photos sent by Buffalo-area Republican Rep. Christopher Lee resulted in his resignation. Lee actually set some kind of record, as he resigned within hours after the story broke on Gawker.
If Weiner does admit to sending the photos, the question then becomes of his political career, and his seat in Congress. His district is reliably Democrat, but Weiner's political aspirations for higher office, including Mayor of New York would likely over. That would be quite the stunning fall for the one-time protege for US Senator Chuck Schumer.
UPDATE:
Well, he's gone and admitted to sending the photos, which is just plain odd. After all his odd defenses and statements, that's it? What a putz.
As for his chances for a political future outside his district, I'd say that they're over. However, since he's refusing to resign, consider that he's in a safe district for Democrats, so he's going to likely remain and serve at his constituents' pleasure not unlike the way that Rep. Charles Rangel was reelected twice after his tax cheating ways were revealed and was censured by Congress.
Showing posts with label Andrew Breitbart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew Breitbart. Show all posts
Monday, June 06, 2011
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
ACORN Exposer Arrested In Louisiana
James O'Keefe (of the ACORN video fame (or infamy depending on your leanings) was arrested in Louisiana with three other men. They’re accused of misrepresenting themselves as telephone repairmen to gain access to Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office and engaging in wiretapping at the Senator's office.
Andrew Breitbart and Big Government claim no knowledge of the alleged wiretapping and that they would not have gone along with any such scheme. If I were them, I'd be damned sure that they didn't, or else Breitbart will find himself in serious hot water as well. I don't think Breitbart would be that stupid, but then again I wouldn't think that O'Keefe would attempt to engage in the wiretapping at the offices of a US Senator even as he was being sued by ACORN and by an ACORN employee for videotaping them at one ACORN's offices. The fallout from this arrest has the potential to seriously affect those cases and puts O'Keefe's career in a real bind.
UPDATE:
Here's the PDF of the FBI affidavit, and O'Keefe has apparently admitted to his role in this.
10 years.
That's what he and his fellow conspirators are looking at. And the feds would have every right to throw the book at him.
Activist James O'Keefe, 25, was already in Landrieu's New Orleans office Monday when Robert Flanagan and Joseph Basel, both 24, showed up claiming to be telephone repairmen, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office said Tuesday. Letten says O'Keefe recorded the two with his cell phone.Dumb doesn't begin to cover this. There is no excuse for his allegedly illicit behavior. O'Keefe and his comrades deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law no matter how much of a service O'Keefe provided in revealing the lack of character and judgment in ACORN employees at offices around the country who had no problem giving O'Keefe and his associate Hannah Giles all manner of advice on engaging in illicit activities.
In the reception area, Flanagan, the son of acting U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan in Shreveport, and Basel asked for access to the main phone at the reception desk.
After handling the phone, Letten's office said, they asked for access to a phone closet so they could work on the main phone system. The men were directed to another office in the building, where they are accused of again misrepresenting themselves as telephone repairmen.
They were arrested later by the U.S. Marshal's Service. Details of the arrest were not available. A fourth man, Stan Dai, 24, was also arrested, but Letten's office said only that he assisted the others in planning, coordinating and preparing the operation.
Federal officials did not say why the men wanted to interfere with Landrieu's phones or whether they were successful. Landrieu, a moderate Democrat, declined comment Tuesday. She has been in the news recently because she negotiated an increase in Medicaid funds for her state before announcing her support for Senate health care legislation.
Andrew Breitbart and Big Government claim no knowledge of the alleged wiretapping and that they would not have gone along with any such scheme. If I were them, I'd be damned sure that they didn't, or else Breitbart will find himself in serious hot water as well. I don't think Breitbart would be that stupid, but then again I wouldn't think that O'Keefe would attempt to engage in the wiretapping at the offices of a US Senator even as he was being sued by ACORN and by an ACORN employee for videotaping them at one ACORN's offices. The fallout from this arrest has the potential to seriously affect those cases and puts O'Keefe's career in a real bind.
UPDATE:
Here's the PDF of the FBI affidavit, and O'Keefe has apparently admitted to his role in this.
10 years.
That's what he and his fellow conspirators are looking at. And the feds would have every right to throw the book at him.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
What's Behind ACORN's Litigation Strategy
ACORN officials must be besides themselves and are tired of trying to attempt to defend the indefensible actions of their employees who have been revealed to be unethical and promoting illegal activities on a multitude of video tapes.
They're angry. They're pissed. And they've called out the lawyers.
They don't want blood. They want millions in damages and they're suing James O'Keefe, Hannah Giles, and Andrew Breitbart for illegal wiretapping in Maryland because Maryland law requires that both parties consent to the taping.
This isn't going to go well.
Even Admiral Ackbar knows one when he sees one. It's going to be a trap. It's not a good idea to bring a lawsuit when you're angry and haven't had a chance to suss out the possible outcomes, and not just in the courtroom. This is a situation that has media scrutiny written all over it, particularly because Breitbart is being sued. He's not going to let this issue die; he's going to use it to drive continuing traffic to his websites and will continue pushing matters on any news outlet he can get himself booked on, particularly Fox News.
ACORN would have been better off letting the issues slide, because attacking the messenger and pushing ahead with a lawsuit guarantees more news coverage and additional scrutiny on ACORN actions. ACORN could conceivably win on the lawsuit, but they'd lose the war - as their political allies (like Barney Frank) distance themselves to avoid the omniscient stink as media outlets actually are forced to cover the story.
Bear in mind that Breitbart had let on that there were seven sets of videos and only five had been made public. ACORN could have waited this out and let the interest die out and its political allies regained their nerve (although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuses to hold hearings on the matter). Now, there's an incentive for Breitbart to push ahead with releasing the videos at some unspecified date to keep the pressure on ACORN.
Moreover, ACORN fired the two employees in the Baltimore video as a result of their conduct on the video. Those two former employees would have a far stronger case than ACORN, but this is route that ACORN is taking. Instead, they're going to face a potential jury pool that isn't going to take what was seen on the videos lightly when compared to the alleged violation of Maryland wiretapping laws, particularly when ACORN leaders have said that they were thankful for the videographers for outing a few bad apples.
Some thanks.
They're angry. They're pissed. And they've called out the lawyers.
They don't want blood. They want millions in damages and they're suing James O'Keefe, Hannah Giles, and Andrew Breitbart for illegal wiretapping in Maryland because Maryland law requires that both parties consent to the taping.
This isn't going to go well.
Even Admiral Ackbar knows one when he sees one. It's going to be a trap. It's not a good idea to bring a lawsuit when you're angry and haven't had a chance to suss out the possible outcomes, and not just in the courtroom. This is a situation that has media scrutiny written all over it, particularly because Breitbart is being sued. He's not going to let this issue die; he's going to use it to drive continuing traffic to his websites and will continue pushing matters on any news outlet he can get himself booked on, particularly Fox News.
ACORN would have been better off letting the issues slide, because attacking the messenger and pushing ahead with a lawsuit guarantees more news coverage and additional scrutiny on ACORN actions. ACORN could conceivably win on the lawsuit, but they'd lose the war - as their political allies (like Barney Frank) distance themselves to avoid the omniscient stink as media outlets actually are forced to cover the story.
Bear in mind that Breitbart had let on that there were seven sets of videos and only five had been made public. ACORN could have waited this out and let the interest die out and its political allies regained their nerve (although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuses to hold hearings on the matter). Now, there's an incentive for Breitbart to push ahead with releasing the videos at some unspecified date to keep the pressure on ACORN.
Moreover, ACORN fired the two employees in the Baltimore video as a result of their conduct on the video. Those two former employees would have a far stronger case than ACORN, but this is route that ACORN is taking. Instead, they're going to face a potential jury pool that isn't going to take what was seen on the videos lightly when compared to the alleged violation of Maryland wiretapping laws, particularly when ACORN leaders have said that they were thankful for the videographers for outing a few bad apples.
Some thanks.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Where the Illegal Things Are
President Barack Obama finally waded into the ACORN mess and promptly delivered a mishmash of lies and obfuscations.
It isn't something he's followed closely? Why is that? The videos are shocking enough, but ACORN's response has been even more shocking in claiming that these were merely isolated cases and that fault rested with the duo who filmed the incidents. They got rolled by Andrew Breitbart, who pushed a video a day over the span of a week to show just how badly ACORN is operated nationwide. One video would have been dismissed. Two videos would have been a coincidence, but now that we're up to five separate locations filmed showing ACORN employees providing advice on how to break the law, and you can no longer simply ignore the evidence.
Law enforcement and attorney generals nationwide should be opening investigations and auditing the books and records of ACORN to see what kind of mess is truly going on there, but ACORN has powerful friends that are more than willing to look the other way. ACORN has a dual mission - providing homeowner assistance and political organizing.
The homeowner assistance program has been suspended because of the videos, and one has to wonder what they've been advising customers for years on end. Employees with a certain moral and ethical flexibility are more than willing to provide advice on how to engage in illicit conduct, and ACORN employment practices appear not to weed out those people who are willing to break the law or look the other way.
Government funds ACORN operations across the nation via pork (member items) and outright grants through Housing and Urban Development to provide homeowner assistance. All these programs and funding needs to be scrutinized because of the level of advice being offered.
Politicians that are willing to overlook this criminality ought to themselves be scrutinized for their willingness to continue funding organizations that do a grave disservice to the communities they claim to represent. After all, politicians provide member items (pork to ACORN), and ACORN and its affiliates, including the WFP support and organize on behalf of political candidates.
These are some of the ties that bind:
It isn't something he's followed closely? Why is that? The videos are shocking enough, but ACORN's response has been even more shocking in claiming that these were merely isolated cases and that fault rested with the duo who filmed the incidents. They got rolled by Andrew Breitbart, who pushed a video a day over the span of a week to show just how badly ACORN is operated nationwide. One video would have been dismissed. Two videos would have been a coincidence, but now that we're up to five separate locations filmed showing ACORN employees providing advice on how to break the law, and you can no longer simply ignore the evidence.
Law enforcement and attorney generals nationwide should be opening investigations and auditing the books and records of ACORN to see what kind of mess is truly going on there, but ACORN has powerful friends that are more than willing to look the other way. ACORN has a dual mission - providing homeowner assistance and political organizing.
The homeowner assistance program has been suspended because of the videos, and one has to wonder what they've been advising customers for years on end. Employees with a certain moral and ethical flexibility are more than willing to provide advice on how to engage in illicit conduct, and ACORN employment practices appear not to weed out those people who are willing to break the law or look the other way.
Government funds ACORN operations across the nation via pork (member items) and outright grants through Housing and Urban Development to provide homeowner assistance. All these programs and funding needs to be scrutinized because of the level of advice being offered.
Politicians that are willing to overlook this criminality ought to themselves be scrutinized for their willingness to continue funding organizations that do a grave disservice to the communities they claim to represent. After all, politicians provide member items (pork to ACORN), and ACORN and its affiliates, including the WFP support and organize on behalf of political candidates.
These are some of the ties that bind:
One of them is Bill de Blasio, the Brooklyn city councilman in a tough runoff election for Public Advocate against Mark Green.That's just the most egregious case. There are others:
In January, ACORN endorsed de Blasio, who spent nearly $43,000 in campaign funds to hire an ACORN affiliate, N.Y. Citizens Services Inc., for "field staff," "consulting" and "canvassing" leading up to last Tuesday's primary.
As a councilman, the Brooklyn Democrat sponsored or co-sponsored a total of $115,000 in taxpayer dollars for ACORN and an affiliate, the New York Agency for Community Affairs.
He was also endorsed by the Working Families Party, which ACORN helped create and shares office space with, after spending $67,740 to hire WFP's for-profit arm, Data and Field Services, for campaign consulting. He also got $33,000 as a "consultant" for a WFP affiliate.
In the last three years, more than 20 Council members, state assemblymen and state senators sponsored nearly $1.75 million in taxpayer money for various ACORN groups in New York.
That raises conflict of interest questions for pols who also seek the group's endorsement.
Dick Dadey of the nonpartisan watchdog group Citizens Union said the conflict was "more perceived than actual," but added it "doesn't look good" for ACORN's political committee to endorse pols when a related entity gets money "from those same officials."
In this election ACORN, endorsed de Blasio and dozens of council members, including controller hopeful John Liu, as well as many state legislators.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Obama In His Own Words
The White House wants to play Jedi mind tricks and make people think that Matt Drudge and Andrew Breitbart took President Obama's comments out of context when Obama extolled the virtues of a single payer health care system (aka government health care).
Obama thinks that single payer health care is the way to go, and even if it takes several years to achieve the changeover, it will be worth it.
But don't take my word for it. Listen to Obama himself:
He wants single payer, universal health care, and is more than willing to shift the entire health care system to government health care within 10-15 years. However, the current proposals would actually result in nearly everyone with private health care being shifted into government health care within one year when their current policies are updated and adjusted with their periodic review.
Linda Douglass very clearly chooses to ignore the multiple references to single payer and Obama's desire to see government health care imposed. This isn't a scare tactic on the part of opponents to Obama's health care plans. It's revealing Obama's policies for what they are - and exposing Obama's lies, deceit, and the deception by him and his allies in pushing forward a plan that will not improve the quality of care in the United States and will not save anyone any money, and which the CBO has found will end up costing far more than the Administration is willing to concede.
“Hi. I’m Linda Douglass. I’m the communications director for the White House Office of Health Reform, and one of my jobs is to keep track of all the disinformation that’s out there about health-insurance reform. And there are a lot of very deceiving headlines out there right now, such as this one — take a look at this one. This one says, ‘Uncovered Video: Obama Explains How His Health Care Plan Will Eliminate PRIVATE Insurance.’However, Obama very clearly wants a single payer system. Obama has done nothing to suggest that he's not moving towards single payer with his proposals and the current health care bills making their way through Congress.
“Well, nothing can be farther from the truth. You know the people who always try to SCARE people whenever you try to bring them health-insurance reform are at it again. And they’re taking sentences and phrases out of context, and they’re cobbling them together to leave a VERY false impression. The truth is that the president has been talking to the American people a LOT about health-insurance reform and what is at stake for them.
“So what happens is that because he’s talking to the American people so much, there are people out there with a computer and a lot of free time, and they take a phrase here and there — they simply cherry-pick and put it together, and make it sound like he’s saying something that he didn’t really say.”
Obama thinks that single payer health care is the way to go, and even if it takes several years to achieve the changeover, it will be worth it.
But don't take my word for it. Listen to Obama himself:
He wants single payer, universal health care, and is more than willing to shift the entire health care system to government health care within 10-15 years. However, the current proposals would actually result in nearly everyone with private health care being shifted into government health care within one year when their current policies are updated and adjusted with their periodic review.
Linda Douglass very clearly chooses to ignore the multiple references to single payer and Obama's desire to see government health care imposed. This isn't a scare tactic on the part of opponents to Obama's health care plans. It's revealing Obama's policies for what they are - and exposing Obama's lies, deceit, and the deception by him and his allies in pushing forward a plan that will not improve the quality of care in the United States and will not save anyone any money, and which the CBO has found will end up costing far more than the Administration is willing to concede.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)