Teabugger O’Keefe Tweets on Pending Charges Despite Gag Order

[Ian David]

Filmmaker O’Keefe Tweets on Pending Charges Despite Gag Order

It appears that conservative filmmaker James O’Keefe is continuing to comment on his case despite the gag order of court. Raw Story and other sites are reporting that O’Keefe tweeted shortly around midnight last night that “Govt official concedes no attempt to wiretap.” It is certainly an important development if true, but O’Keefe may be accused of violating the court order. In the meantime, it appears that the stunt in New Orleans may have been an effort to cut off the telephones as opposed to wiretapping calls.

As noted in the segment below from Countdown, the affidavit accompanying the charges was curious two respects. First, the government was charging a higher category of trespass by alleging intent to commit a felony. However, the prosecutors failed to state what that felony was. The clear suggestion of the affidavit was that the “malicious” interference with the telephone system was to wiretap Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office. Second, if this was a conspiracy to wiretap, one would have expected a reference to electronic surveillance equipment found at the scene.

Now, O’Keefe is saying that the government is not pursuing a surveillance theory. Such a development is important and worth public attention. However, O’Keefe is under a gag order not to discuss the case. These orders can create difficulties for the defense when someone like O’Keefe is being widely accused of a wiretapping conspiracy. He has an obvious desire to rebut those allegations — as do his lawyers. Moreover, he was merely referencing a news development in a brief tweet. Nevertheless, it could be viewed as a technical violation.

<snip>

O’Keefe seems to relish reckless acts. His stunt with ACORN appears to have violated state laws. Even without a surveillance conspiracy, the Landrieu stunt is still quite serious. What is interesting is that O’Keefe hardly needs to directly communicate such information given the press attention in the case.

More:
http://jonathanturley.org/2010/01/28/filmmaker-okeefe-tweets-on-pending-charges-despite-gag-order/

Hat-tip to: http://twitter.com/dpleasant/status/8323040573

[Skip Intro]

1. What was the need for a "listening device" if there was no attempt to wiretap?

Why would one need a listening device a few blocks away if the intent were only to disconnect the phone lines?

[FSogol]

2. Throw his pasty white-ass back in jail. n/t

[Skip Intro]

5. OT, but I gotta ask, if he were black, would you say throw his "black ass" in jail?

Is there something wrong with being "pasty white?"

[FSogol]

8. No, I'd say throw his skinny-ass back in jail.

BTW, I'm fish-belly white, not pasty-white.

[Ian David]

9. Yeah. He owes Anderson Cooper and Conan O'Brien an apology.

[KittyWampus]

11. Dude- Anderson and Conan aren't pasty- they are tasty!

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. It's because he's white that he won't serve much time.

Don't you know? Only blacks and hispanics have a criminal gene. That's why there are more blacks and and hispanics in jail.

I know it's true because my right-wing relatives told me so.

[Codeine]

32. Pasty whiteness rules!

Do not make me bring my Fishbelly Vengeance down upon you!


Dig my creamy, glow-in-the-dark studliness! :rofl:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. Add one count of contempt.

[Ganja Ninja]

4. He was never charged with wire tapping.

The way I understand it is he was charged with entering a government building under false pretenses and phone "tampering" not tapping. Same penalties apply in either case.

[ThomThom]

17. there may be more charges to come

speaking when a gag is in effect will not go well with the judge
besides his lawyer already spoke to this issue

[gkhouston]

6. Oh, I knew it! Shoot your mouth off, go ahead. Dig your own grave.

:popcorn:

[WolverineDG]

29. I know

Keep talkin' Keep talkin'

:popcorn:

dg

[golddigger]

7. If this was a Democrat...

he would already be in gitmo and the news channels would be talking about this 24/7.

Liberal media my ass!

[peekaloo]

10. Maybe he's confused by the term "gag order" being a Teabugger and all.

or under the impression that somebody's Big Daddy is gonna make this all go away.

[rocktivity]

12. He wore his mother's chinchilla coat to ACORN?

Mama may have to hock it to pay his legal bills.

And now we know where he got his money from.


rocktivity

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

13. Gotta be the dumbest whiteboy ever.

:crazy: :silly:

[madrchsod]

14. he could be thrown in jail for violating his court order

but what ever happens his action will be duly noted by the judge.

[theothersnippywshrub]

15. The affidavit specifically stated an alleged violation of Section 1362 of Title 18.

Section 1362 concerns damaging or interfering with a government phone system but has nothing to do with wire tapping. That is covered in another Section.

[sabrina 1]

25. Legal experts expect there will be other charges.

These are preliminary charges and I'm sure the FBI is doing an investigation before adding on other charges. There are four individuals so they could only charge them with what they know. Now comes the investigation and we'll see who decides to cop a plea in exchange for a lighter sentence.

I doubt very much that the FBI will take messing with a US Senator's phone, lightly, OR take the word of these creeps that it was all just for fun.

O'Keefe has never shown signs of being particularly bright. To the rabid right maybe, but then their standards are pretty low. So, I'm sure the FBI will have lots of fun with a dumb, ego-maniac like him.

[theothersnippywshrub]

27. The two crimes alleged in the affidavit each carry a sentence of up to 10 years and fines

up to $250,000. Sentencing guidelines probably provide for much less for this type of criminal. But the affidavit contains pretty overwhelming evidence of violations of Sections 1036 and 1362, so the government has plenty of leverage to use to try and persuade someone to flip. Unless significant new information comes out, I doubt that additional charges will be filed.

[sabrina 1]

28. Well, what needs to be determined, especially in a case like this

where a US Senator's phone system was compromised, is are they working alone or is someone else funding their operation?

Watergate started out with what looked like just a few political dirty tricksters also.

We DO know thanks to big mouth O'Keefe, that Morton Blackwell was funding him AFTER college. That statement by him on his blog, was scrubbed. Blackwell for some reason, didn't want his association with him known once his last little stunt against ACORN began to fall apart.

I imagine the FBI will get warrants to check what calls these men, they are NOT little boys as they are being portrayed btw, have made over the past several months, video, computer records, emails etc.

O'Keefe has a habit of scrubbing things when things get too hot for him, and that was BEFORE this latest little stunt of his.

So, I would not dismiss the possibility of other charges at all. Investigations take time. If the FBI's first contact with them was when they were called to Landrieu's office, which I do not know, then they have a lot of work to do just to make their case on the existing charges and that's when they often find out other things.

Otoh, it's possible the FBI was watching them already. I haven't seen that clarified anywhere, but could have missed it. We'll have to wait and see. They have been ordered not to communicagte with other, O'Keefe has to surrender his passport and he is forbidden from leaving NJ where is ordered to live with his parents. I'm not sure how normal this is for someone who is still only charged with a crime but not even close to a conviction.

[theothersnippywshrub]

30. The involvement of additional people definitely would be significant.

And quite likely could lead to additional charges, at least against those additional people. If someone knowingly funded, or otherwise supported, the crimes the teabuggers were accused of in the affidavit, then that person likely would be charged, pursuant to Section 2 of Title 18, with at least the same crimes. An additional, and possibly more important, line of investigation concerning any such persons would be what other criminal activity have they funded or supported and who committed those crimes.

[sabrina 1]

31. Yes, I think that's why Morton Blackwell tried to distance himself

from O'Keefe after the ACORN stunt began to look like it might lead to criminal charges. O'Keefe did scrub his reference to that claim from his blog. I'm sure, since he's been told not to contact anyone who might be connected to this case, the FBI will probably get a warrant to make sure he doesn't. Ironic, and hopefully they will get a warrant, that these rightwingers were so much in favor of spying on the American people since, according to them, 'if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about'.

[SidDithers]

16. Sharp as a marble, that one...nt

Sid

[Bluenorthwest]

18. Filmmaker? Really?

What films has he made?

[Maru Kitteh]

20. He looks like Timothy McVeigh in that picture. Gives me the willies.

[arcadian]

21. Yeah, youthful indiscretion.

[SeattleVet]

22. I'd chip in to help hire Orly Taitz for his defense! nt

[theothersnippywshrub]

23. That would be a beautiful thing, but any conviction would have to be overturned. n/t

[sabrina 1]

24. The anonymous 'official' he's referring to is the one who

is making the claim that there was no 'wire-tapping involved. And who is this person? And why, considering the article has already made the news, does he feel the need to make sure everyone reads it?

His fellow accused criminal we now know has some ties to the 'intelligence community'. Until that 'anonymous source' reveals their identity, I would have little confidence in it having any credibility.

If you want to cut off someone's phone service, you don't need someone down the road with listening devices in a car.

O'Keefe is a well-known liar so anything he says needs to be taken with a grain of salt. However, I'm sure he has friends in whose interests it is that he get away with this.

I hope he keeps talking. He's such a bumbling clown, remembering his behavior after his last little stunt where he was caught lying so many times, I have every confidence that without the media covering, as Hannity et al did, for his lies, he'll only cause himself and whoever is funding him, more trouble. As he did with Morton Blackwell when he revealed his connection to HIM, and then had to scrub his website.

He's a pretty sick guy and probably mostly needs treatment, the signs were there long ago. But then, these are the kinds of stooges the Rightwing 'Think Tanks' tend to use to do their dirty work.

[seeinfweggos]

26. "O’Keefe tweeted shortly around midnight"

Don't drink and text!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

33. Worse than drunk dialing

At least a recording of a conversation is rarely made. Texting or tweeting is a different story.