Leahy Calls On Justice Department To Investigate Laura Ingraham’s Phone Jamming

[kpete]

Leahy Calls On Justice Department To Investigate Laura Ingraham’s Phone Jamming

On election day, ThinkProgress posted audio of right-wing radio host Laura Ingraham urging her listeners to obstruct efforts to protect voting rights by jamming a free voter protection hotline.

Yesterday in a Senate Judiciary Commmittee hearing, Pat Leahy (D-VT) asked Wan Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, whether his department would be investigating Ingraham’s phone jamming. Kim said Ingraham’s actions sounded like a “voter fraud scheme,” but that they didn’t fall under his division’s responsibilities, which cover “voter access.”

VIDEO & TRANSCRIPT:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/17/leahy-ingraham-vote/

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Excellent! It's time to fight back.

[librechik]

2. good

zero tolerance on election interference, IMO--Laura abused her power as a radio voice--she should be held accountable.

[texpatriot2004]

3. There should be prison time involved for this kind of thing nt

[Bluestar]

4. Oh goodie

The Dems aren't leaving a stone (or a Republican infraction) unturned. These little things just keep popping up. I hope our Democratic congress has a list of all the laws they've broken. If not, I'm sure that DU members will remind them.

[indepat]

5. Hope Leahy et al will call on IRS to revoke the tax exempt status of

churches that have in active in partisan politics. :patriot:

[madrchsod]

10. no -that is a two edged sword

it cuts both ways

[indepat]

13. Let the chips fall where they may and forever get churches and religion out of partisan

politics, at least that's my take. :patriot:

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. Right now, it's only cutting one way --

as far as I can tell, only liberal churches are under investigation at this time. I've not heard of any of the megachurches being hounded by the IRS, despite their politicizing from the pulpit and publishing of voter guides for the flock they fleece.

[madrchsod]

35. ya you are right...

[BuyingThyme]

6. What exactly did Ingraham say?

Does anybody have a link to the transcript/audio?

Gracias.

[MADem]

9. The link is within the link at the original post, above.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/07/ingraham-voter-line/

After playing a recording of DNC Chairman Howard Dean promoting the line to voters, Ingraham suggested her listeners call en masse:

Tell me if you think I’m crazy. This is what I’m thinking. I think we all need to call 1 888 DEM VOTE all at the same time.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO INGRAHAM
The DNC has released audio recordings of some of the prank calls to the hotline. Listen to one call HERE.

Digg It!

Full transcript:

DEAN (recorded): We have a hotline — 1 888 DEM VOTE — anybody can call that. If they feel like there are voting irregularities, we’ll send some folks over to the polling place in a matter of minutes.

(Phone ringing) OPERATOR: Leave a message with your question or press pound to be transferred at no extra charge to your local election protection team or the state Democratic Party. (Dialing) Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try your call again later.

INGRAHAM: Wait a second! So — (Laughter) you call 1 888 DEM VOTE — otherwise ‘Dim Bulb Vote’ or ‘Dumb Vote’ — and all you do is get tranferred to muzak, then they cut you off. This is what I’m thinking. Tell me if you think I’m crazy. This is what I’m thinking. I think we all need to call 1 888 DEM VOTE all at the same time. And, by the way, when you call, when you call the number — and remember, it’s ‘Dem Vote’ not ‘Dumb Vote’ — when you call the number, as we did, and we got transferred, transferred, then we just got hung up upon. You know, we’re supposed to have these election teams within a matter of minutes, they’re supposed to be coming to the polls. Can you imagine what those people look like? Halloween all over again. So if you have trouble with the poll, you’re supposed to call, via 1 888 ‘Dumb Vote,’ and this is what you get.

OPERATOR: Thank you for calling 1 888 DEM VOTE. To continue in English, press 1. Para continuar in Espanol, oprima el dos.

INGRAHAM: Oh, and if you’re Saddam Hussein, no problem. Vote absentee, in Maryland or Ohio.....

[casus belli]

14. Link to story and audio

This is one of the many places online carrying the story:

http://prisonplanet.com/articles/november2006/071106_b_Ingraham.htm

The link to the audio is contained in the article, but I've directly linked it for conveience.

http://websrvr80il.audiovideoweb.com/il80web20037/ThinkProgress/2006/ingraham.mp4

[indepat]

7. Jesus, I hope Laura Ingraham gets her little white RW a*s in a crack

and her t**s in a ringer. :eyes:

[RaleighNCDUer]

19. That would be 'wringer' --

derived from the old wringer washer machines that you may still see occassionally in cartoons, which for her is entirely appropriate.

[indepat]

23. Thanks, must have been thinking about ringing necks: and I remember my Mom

washing on an old wringer machine.

[helderheid]

8. nothing but great news from you today, kpete! THANK YOU!!

[madrchsod]

11. i want her convicted of a federal felony

there is nothing like having a federal felony on one`s record....

[AngryOldDem]

12. Then ship it to a division that IS responsible....

...and also investigate Coulter's threats while you're at it. It's time that they were called on bullshit like this.

[AdvancedProgress]

15. I've been waiting for this

Since I read about it on election day.

:mad:

[casus belli]

16. Her voice grates on my nerves

Something about shrill, nasally hate that doesn't bode well for my ears. I'm surprised she has any sponsors left for her show.

[Cass]

18. So are they going to investigate or not? I can't tell from this article.

I hope they do because what she urged her listeners to do was despicable but I can't tell what the outcome was by reading the ThinkProgress piece.

[ellacott]

30. I couldn't tell either

I hope they do go further with this.

[elehhhhna]

20. kpete, you are the alltime star purveyor of NEWS I CAN USE. YOU ROCK!

[kpete]

26. I am blushing...

[elehhhhna]

29. take a bow, lady!

:toast:

[Richard Steele]

33. You do good work. DU wouldn't be the same without you! nm

[SoCalDem]

21. I don;t see it going anywhere

Remember..these folks all use the same excuse..

"Hey, I'm an ENTERTAINER"..

Her fellow "entertainers" will all moan and groan and the meme of the day will be how the 'democrat senate is wasting time by investigating radio entertainers instead of doing their work"...

They'll threaten and may even do a little but, in the end it will probably go nowhere..just like all the election challenges we have heard about for 6 years..

and look at who runs the justice department...

They could wait until a democratic admin comes in, but by then it would be too late..

[burythehatchet]

22. she's an accessory to a felony

the way I see it. Urging an audience to jam a political action line is simply not a legal act.

[SoCalDem]

25. True, but they are pragmatists

They won the election, and as soon as that happens, they start worrying about staying elected.

I would have loved to have seen her arrested..when it happened.

Every day that passes, makes it more unlikely that she will be charged.

Republicans do not fear threats of prosecution because they have usually weaseled out of it, and you know they have friends in high places..

Look at Rush.. Anyone else in his position would be locked up..

[wicket]

24. Give 'em hell Leahy!!!!!

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[warrens]

27. Laura can out all the gay people in her cell block

From, you know, PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

[Independent_Liberal]

28. Go get em Patrick Ervin! :)

After Senator Sam Ervin of the Senate Watergate Committee no less!

:)

[williesgirl]

31. Send her fucking right-wing ass to jail where it belongs.

[dancingme]

32. It's about time she has to face the music!

And I'm not talking about the weird music in her bubble head. :evilgrin:

[Randypiper]

34. So glad to hear this

[AspenRose]

36. YES!!! God bless you Senator Leahy.

:doing the happy dance:

[Canuckistanian]

37. And how is this different from the NH phone jamming scandal?

Charges should be laid. Now.

[oasis]

38. Only free and fair elections for Iraq?

:nopity: Throw the book at her.