Daniel Harper:
Writing for Salon, Curtis Morrison, a self-titled “liberal activist,” admits to bugging Mitch McConnell’s office. He claims to have been inspired by Julian Assange and claims, “If given another chance to record him, I’d do it again.”
“Earlier this year, I secretly made an audio recording of Sen. Mitch McConnell, the most powerful Republican on the planet, at his campaign headquarters in Kentucky. The released portion of the recording clocks in at less than 12 minutes, but those few minutes changed my life,” writes Morrison.
I leaked the recording to Mother Jones, which published it with a transcript and analysis in April, and over the days that followed, blogs and cable news shows lit up with the revelations from that one meeting. At the time, McConnell was prepping for a race against the actress Ashley Judd — it was “the Whac-a-Mole stage of the campaign,” McConnell said smugly — and the recording captures his team in some Grade-A jackassery, including plans to use Judd’s history of depression against her.
But also up for debate was the the ethics of the audio recording itself. Here’s the latest: An assistant U.S. attorney, Brian Calhoun, telephoned my attorney yesterday, asking to meet with him next Friday as charges against me are being presented to a grand jury.
In a technology age marked by vigilante heroes like Julian Assange and Anonymous, the line between journalism and espionage has grown thin. McConnell was quick to frame himself as the victim of a crime, which was to be expected. It was the guilty repositioning of a politician who has been caught being craven.
Here’s how describes himself: “I’m a liberal activist in Kentucky. I’m also a citizen journalist — at least I used to be — because I don’t subscribe to the lie that activism and journalism can be separated.
Look at his ”rationale.”
It shows, beyond a doubt, that transference is a disease in Liberals that has put down deep roots.
Notice how he slying implies that Fox’s Rosen has crossed some “espionage,” line thus justifying him and his parents being wiretapped?
He is the one who broke the law, not Rosen.
And, while he’s made his admission, what actions are the Obama/Holder DOJ bringing against him?
PS, since when is it in any way wrong to look into a political opponent’s background?
I recall a young Obama using mysteriously leaked divorce papers to beat his early state senate opponent.
Some people were quite a bit more understanding when the person attempting to bug a member of Congress’s office was James O’Keefe.
In the case of Curtis Morrison, the “bugging” reportedly involved recording a conversation with a cell phone while standing outside an office door. In other words, Morrison recorded what could be overheard from a public hallway. If that’s the case—and it has been demonstrated how easily it could have been done—it wasn’t really “bugging” at all.
O’Keefe and his motley crew were actually attempting to plant an electronic listening device that could be picked up from a block away. That is illegal wiretapping.
Hopefully McConnell is somewhat more cautious when he’s discussing classified national security information.
Here’s what was recorded:
Full Transcript and Audio of Mitch McConnell Campaign’s Meeting on Ashley Judd
Greggie still working overtime to defend the illegal actions of the left, I see.
For there to have been illegal actions, something illegal has to have been done—as in the case of Mr. O’Keefe’s bungled efforts.
James O’Keefe is still eating out the heart of the Left.
In CA a few Dems have introduced a Homeless Bill Of Rights that, if passed and signed by Gov. Moonbeam, would give all homeless people the right to stand, sit, lie and sleep, even pee and poop where ever they want in CA.
Oddly, then, when James and a few of his cadre of grassroots reporters dressed as homeless men and tried to simply lean on a tree on the streets where these men lived, those two-faced ”liberals” called the cops on them!
Apparently, where ever they want only means else where, not by MY house!
Since Halloween obviously doesn’t come often enough for him, maybe James should consider a career in theater. He could still put on costumes and impersonate people, and might actually earn an honest living doing so.
1: From your own link, Greg:
The first clue here should be that if you were simply standing outside the door, the clarity of the conversion would be considerably less than if you were laying on the ground, with your ear to the door’s gap.
The iPhone’s built in microphones are the typical cardiod pickup pattern, and generally on par with a standard concert vocal mic like the Shure 57 (and that’s on the optimistic side…). Neither one would be worth a crap thru a closed door, and the hallway noise – people walking by, voices, movement by those in the hallway etc – would would drown out the fainter voices leaking thru a doorway. It’s as simple as this – primary sounds vs more distant and muffled sounds.
Let me put it to you this way. If you went to a concert, do you think you could audibly tell the difference between a vocalist standing 7-8 feet away from the microphone on stage, singing… from a vocalist who was behind a door on stage singing? Your ear, alone, should be able to note the difference. In fact, you’d likely complain that the vocalist’s audio was substandard for what you are used to because he is so far away from the mic.
An exception to this would be various shotgun microphones. But these have a disadvantage for the narrow sound they would pick up. Imagine that your ear follows your eyes, and you can narrowly zero in a longer distance to hear what you are looking at. These mics phase out the wider areas around that focus so that you can isolate that target for intelligibility. For this reason, they aren’t very handy as spy microphones but in rare circumstances. You can only pick up perhaps half a conversation. So a wider directional microphone is needed. The recording belies any shotguy mic being used because you can hear the other voices in the room.
Microphone pick up patterns work similar to your ear but with greater flaws, Greg… because they impose arbitrary phasing out of sound that your ear will not do in real life.
In order for the iPhone to pick up the McConnell office conversation with the clarity demonstrated on the recorded conversion, one of two things had to have happened:
a: The iPhone, itself, would have be be laid on the floor at the door’s gap, or
b: An external microphone, feeding the iPhone, at the door’s gap was used.
Either scenario precludes any possibility that is was a casually overhead conversation, outside of a closed door, that would fall into a public domain argument.
I was in the pro sound business for over 27 years, Greg. The recording is consistent with a standard room microphone with nominally wide pickup pattern and appropriate room noise. You can tell when the voices get louder that that microphone sounds like it’s *in* the room (as opposed to being behind a door) – altho not directed right on any particular source – and sounds nothing like what you’d hear through a closed door.
2: Don’t care about the content. None of it sounds like what wouldn’t also be said behind opposition political closed doors. Private conversations should be that… private. Politics is dirty business, and has always been that way. No biggie, and no negative reflections on McConnell because of the content.
3: INRE James O’Keefe and Landrieu, he deserved to be charged, and he was… with attempts to tamper with the phone system. At least he understood the limitations of microphone pickup patterns. In the case of this Progress Kentucky guy, he also needs to be charged with illegal recording. To even the most novice of those with professional sound experience, it is obvious.
Dare I suggest that you should be condemning both equally.
@MataHarley, #8:
I’m sure you’re right that a microphone would have to have been down at the gap between the door and floor to get an intelligible audio recording. “Standing” was more figurative than literal. I agree, too, that any sleaze gap is a narrow one, turning on little more than legal technicality. I just couldn’t resist mentioning Mr. O’Keefe in response to the current “bugging” outrage.
I’m an amateur musician, btw. I occasionally record acoustic guitar with an Audio-Technica AT2020 USB condenser mic. I isolated it from vibration with a Sampson spider mount for another 30 bucks. I run the mic into Audacity freeware. It’s a nice, inexpensive recording setup for home use. Quite good fidelity.
@MataHarley:
Rather nice of Curtis Morrison to provide a written confession to his crime, don’t you think. It should be well received by the prosecuting attorney.
Digital Media Law Project:
Secretly recording McConnell’s private closed-door conversation is patently illegal:
Morrison is in a heap of trouble. Maybe he’ll be able to get G. Gorden Lilly’s old cell. McConnell will no doubt be able to collect damages, and turn around and use that money to finance his reelection campaign.
@Greg:
Hate to burst your bubble Greg, but the amateur musician knows exactly Jack-squat about microphones and recording compared with sound business professionals.
@Ditto, #10:
There has to be more is involved than that, otherwise the one-party consent law would severely constrain routine audio and video news gathering. I suspect whether a setting is public or private is an important legal question. In this case, legality or illegality probably depends on the question of intrusion into a private space; on whether the conversation could be heard outside in the public hallway.
I’m no lawyer, but I’m guessing Morrison can’t be prosecuted.
I don’t claim any particular technical expertise in that area either, but I assure you that I can distinguish a high quality audio recording from one that isn’t. I have a musician’s ear, and 45 years of experience as an acoustic guitarist who mostly plays a classical instrument. Subtle shadings of sound are my entire focus. Such people generally know a bit about the practical side of microphones and recording technology, just as any serious non-professional will know about their areas of particular interest.
I wasn’t trying to one-up MataHarley. I thought she might find my observations about a particular USB condenser mic of interest. It was a momentary digression from politics.
I’m no lawyer either, but I’m guessing exactly the opposite. If he had a believable case that he was picking up that recording just standing in the hallway, casually holding his phone in hand – and not recorded by placing his phone or a remote mic down at the door’s gap – you might have a case. They’ll have a hard time proving that quality of recording was made any other way than a deliberate attempt to mic that room from that gap. Couldn’t be any more simple than duplicating the moment, recording similar amplitude conversations behind closed doors with both methods for comparison. Intent to prove intelligible recording vs “standing in the right place at the right time” overhearing will prove to be his undoing.
The better question is *will* he get charged? Much might depend upon what McConnell wants to do. The intrusion is offensive. What he captured on the recording? Ho hum.
OT… INRE your personal music fun. that’s a creative outlet and great hobby. Things like that keep a body sane.
If you want a more “live” sound, and assuming your aren’t playing in the equivalent of a padded cell… that’s a joke, son, LOL!…and have some live reverberation in the room with reflective walls, put up a room mic when you play/record, and then mix the two together. (I’m assuming you have multitrack capabilities) You’ll have to experiment with the placement if it’s an omnidirectional since you don’t want a lot of extraneous room noise (air conditioning, computer fans, etc). So pay very close attention to the pickup pattern of the mic you’re experimenting with. But it’s the optimum way for a live ambient sound, and natural reverb/delay. And I’m assuming you are close mic’ing the guitar to get the nuances of strings and full body sound. So this technique would complement each other in a single recording.
If you have a spare cardioid and a mic stand, place it about 5-7 feet away, and aiming at the body of your guitar and see how that works for one effect. Not as “live” and roomy, but also good results. You also might want to check into the PZM mics. Love those for room sound. I remember when they first came out via small indy manufacturer. Then they sold to to the bigger audio manufacturers. Glad to see they are still around. Amazing when used properly, innovative and compact design. Especially wonderful for mic’ing pianos in a live (in the acoustic sense) room. Extremely realistic “ears”. What you hear is generally close to what you get on the recording.
Pickup patterns are not the same thing as the transducer technology.. i.e. condenser vs dynamic, ribbon, tube, etc. Personally I love the ribbon and tube mics.. especially in the digital recording age. However both are more fragile and less forgiving for amplitude and frequency peaks. Choices of mics, and their design, are wholly dependent upon environment and the instrument you are attempting to record. Ergo, “condenser” mics, which require power supplies, are not necessarily superior to dynamic or other design mics. They just have better uses in particular environments at a given moment in time.
@Greg: I think what this boils down to is that you believe anyone who doesn’t have your political views is not entitled to the same rights as those who do. Had someone done the exact same thing to a left leaning politician, you’d be screaming bloody murder. You do realize that if you were dong any type of a research paper and used Mother Jones as a reference, you’d probably be given an ‘F’ even by a liberal professor.
@another vet, #13:
If the conversation was audible to a microphone that was positioned in what is technically a public location, I imagine successful prosecution would be very difficult. If the microphone would have to have intruded into the private space of the office to make the recording, they might have a shot at it.
I doubt if they’ll bother. They would risk looking silly, could raise all sorts of issues regarding the reporting of information collected in public spaces, and could give the appearance that the recorded conversation is more significant than it actually is.
@Greg:
I’ve taken film and broadcasting in college, and they cover this:
It really depends what you are doing. Usually, when recording for news gathering, the parties are full aware that they are being recorded. Whenever possible, broadcasters and film makers will have everyone who appears on camera sign a release form. Interviewing public figures in public locations, (such as you see with reporters running public officials down to ask them questions,) is perfectly legal and the reporters do not have to get the political office holder to sign a release form.
As for “hidden camera” type recording, it depends on whether the location is considered “private” or “public.” It is usually illegal to film in places such as locker rooms, bathrooms, a person’s bedroom etc. without the express permission (and it better be documented,) of everyone recorded. It is also illegal to record a private conversation without the permission of at least one party involved in the conversation.
In the case of programs like the old Candid Camera program, those filmed were asked to sign releases before it aired but even if they didn’t this would have been covered because the production staff included one party of on air talent to set up the situation.
In the case of the Acorn sting recordings, those individuals with the hidden camera were one party of the conversation. Had the film makers secretly hidden a camera, recorded private conversations between two other parties, and then recovered the recording and released it, then they would have committed a crime.
I also have professional experience mixing in recording sessions and live performance sound reinforcement.
Not trying to slam you Greg, but I’ve worked with far too many musicians who think that because they have “a good ear,” that they know what they are talking about when it comes to sound. What sounds good on your computer speakers or headphones may sound “off” on higher quality equipment. Professional musicians learn to trust their audio engineers. Mata gave you some good advice on in-home recording. I might suggest using a 16/32-band equalizer and “ringing the room” to set a base flat acoustical response for optimal recordings, but that can be a trial and error process and tough for the novice to get right. I’ll add that the quality of a recording is very dependent on the quality of the equipment used, and it’s proper use. Expensive doesn’t always mean better, but cheap equipment almost always guarantees poor quality, as can good equipment set-up by someone who doesn’t really know what they are doing. Pay close attention to equipment reviews by recording professionals when selecting equipment. (I’d also suggest subscribing to Front of House magazine.)
@MataHarley, #12:
The PMZ mics look interesting. If I get more serious at some point I’ll check them out. Presently I’m recording primarily as a means to attend to my playing technique more critically. I’m impressed with the performance of my Audio-Technica condenser mic set up, but that might just be because what I had before was a unusually inferior piece of equipment.
Audacity has basic digital multi-tracking capabilities. It’s nice software for the price. (Free.)
@Greg:
The recording was made inside McConnell’s campaign headquarters in Kentucky. That means it was not a public location. Under the law, the entire campaign office headquarters are considered private not public, and that includes the hallways within. No “party of the conversation “inside that office were made aware by Morrison that they were going to be secretly recorded, nor did they sign a release. Morrison committed a crime.
how freaking are those shameless LIBERALS,
they are hunting for the opposit party to find negatives,instead of doing their jobs,
it’s a BRAIN DEFECT they are stuck with,
send them in prison for a while and fire them where ever they work,
they did it to another, they will do it for you,
stay away from them.
This is what the Kentucky law says:
http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/526-00/CHAPTER.HTM
Notice under installing an eavesdropping device, location means nothing. It clearly states, “in any place”.
@another vet:
So, Morrison is clearly and admittedly guilty under Kentucky law of two Class D Felonies for the violation of Kentucky eavesdropping laws, and a Class A Misdemeanor for every instance whereby he released the illegally obtained recordings to the press.
That’s without even looking at the Federal laws he broke:
Federal Statutes Governing Wiretapping and Electronic Eavesdropping
Electronic Communications Privacy Act
Title III
What Penalties can Morrison expect?:
So you see Greg, Morrison has indeed admitted to violation Federal and Kentucky Law. This is a slam dunk case that a fledgling lawyer could win. With his heavily publicized confession, Morrison can only plead guilty and throw himself on the mercy of the court.
Ditto
that is a complete lesson we are learning from you.
thank you for taking the time to give it to us,
I find it complete to say that ERIC HOLDER is in big troubles.
bye
@Ditto: You are missing one key point- even though it may be illegal it is okay because McConnell is still considered to be a conservative and therefore he has no rights. Do the same to Feinstein, Pelosi, or Reid and you would then have a serious crime.
@Ditto, #17:
The conversation took place inside McConnell’s campaign office. As I understand it, the recording was made outside in a public hallway, where the conversation was audible owing to a door vent and a gap beneath the closed door. Therein lies the rub, for anyone hoping for a successful prosecution. Unknowingly, their conversation was carrying into a public space. All of the definitions and laws cited have to with intrusion into private spaces or private lines of communication.
One couldn’t pin a private memo up on a bulletin board in plain view through a window from a public sidewalk, and then make a successful legal argument that no one had any right to read it and publicly report what it said.
You’re sounding pretty desperate here, Greg. Were this to make it to a court, you’d look like a fool trying to spin that it was casually overheard, and didn’t include some unnatural body contortions to get legible audio thru the “the keyhole”, so to speak.
I’ll invite you to do what I suggested originally… both O’Keefe (INRE Landrieu) and Morrison should be equally condemned for similar acts.
@Greg:
Greg, you are desperate, floundering and it tells. The conversation was not in public, it was inside McConnell’s campaign headquarters, in a private campaign strategy meeting held behind closed door.
So, Morris entered into McConnell’s privately leased campaign office building and went surreptitiously snooping around. That’s trespassing, mate.
Veteran Louisville attorney Thomas McAdam:
BUSTED: The Case Against McConnell Bugger, Curtis Morrison
Continued:
The FBI was called in to investigate, and U.S. attorney, Brian Calhoun has contacted Morrison’s attorney to inform his client that charges against Morrison are being presented to a grand jury this coming week.
Morrison has been fired for this and Progress Kentucky (aka ProgressKY) want’s nothing more to do with Curtis. Rep. Questioned about this about this bugging of McConnell’s offices, John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) calls ProgressKY and Morrison “an embarrassment to politics.”
@Ditto: In the minds of the left, the end justifies the means.
@Ditto, #24:
McConnell didn’t lease an office building. He leased an office in a building. Outside that office door is a public hallway.
@MataHarley, #26:
I doubt it will make it to court. It will be interesting to see what happens if it does.
In my opinion O’Keefe and Morrison have engaged in equally sleazy behavior. I think their actions would be viewed quite differently by a court, however, owing to the technicalities of applicable laws. I imagine the “Liberals bugged my office” meme will be played by McConnell’s people for all it’s worth, but only up to the point where the story would be legally tested. Going further carries a risk that a politically useful story will blow up in their faces. I suppose they might manage that situation by claiming that the Obama administration pulled strings—yet another outrage!—but no one would believe it but current choir members.
I think the assertion at the start of this article effectively reduces the whole thing to it’s most basic level of silliness. Maybe the message would work better if the words and background were flashing in alternating red and green.
GREG.. is there ANY ACT a LIBERAL can do, that you WOULDN’T DEFEND????
@Hankster58, #28:
The political orientation of the person who made the recording isn’t a factor. Attempting to prosecute someone for recording a conversation that was audible to a microphone situated in a public space isn’t likely to be successful. Any reasonable judge or jury member will likely grasp the legal problem very quickly. There’s no general prohibition against the operation of recording devices in public settings. If a public figure wants his or her words to remain private, they should speak them where they cannot be overheard from a public space.
We are both wrong, after researching the location of the crime, I admit that it is a multistory office building complex. You Greg are wrong when you claim that McConnell only leased an office. McConnell leased a number of offices on the second floor of the Watterson Towers Office Park. You are also wrong in your continued claim that the hallway is public:
The fact that you must pass a security guard and receptionist desk indicates that the office building is a controlled access complex. Controlled access means that the lobby personnel are supposed to monitor entry and ensure that only those there on business are allowed entry. In these cases all the areas beyond the lobby are common areas, not public, any more than the hallways in your home or the Pentagon are “public”.
Morrison admits his nervousness on he and Reilly were slipping in during a security lapse of the lobby. That shows that they were well aware that this was a controlled access office complex, and Morrison and Reilly knew that they were not supposed to be skulking around, much less listening at office doorways.
Nor should we consider that Morrison’s colleague in crime Reilly was just a small time Democratic activist. We now have a connection between between the Obama White House and Reilly:
You are grasping at straws Greg. Yet you still deny the “Nixon-ian” activities of the Obama administration.
@Greg: The house speaker in KY, who is a Democrat by the way, referred to Morrison’s group as an extremist group. Morrison’s cohort, Shawn Reilly, wasted little time in going to the FBI to distance himself from Morrison as well. So apparently you are supporting someone who according to your own party belongs to an extremist group and whose accomplice, who has already secured legal counsel, is claiming he had nothing to do with the eavesdropping which would be an indication that his lawyers may have concluded that Morrison broke the law.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/293501-progress-kentucky-director-denies-illegal-activity-in-mcconnell-bugging-case
@Ditto: Check out his legal defense fund. Notice how he is setting himself up for a claim of a mental disorder.
http://www.gofundme.com/2lkkw4
I wasn’t aware of the claims that McConnell had used federal employees to gather information to be used in his political campaign. I suppose that might explain why the McConnell people have gone totally nuts over the revelation of what seems like a relatively trivial backroom conversation. They might hope to preemptively discredit Morrison, and render his tape inadmissible as evidence.
@another vet:
I saw that. I suppose being a far left extremist might be considered a mental disorder. Maybe he and Greg can be ward buddies. Meanwhile, Greg in typical Alynski tactics, tries to change the subject with an attack on the victim of Morrison’s political espionage.
Don’t be silly. If I were trying to change the subject, I probably would have said something about Michelle Bachmann’s ethics investigation, and then segued into an observation that they’re all a passel of hypocrites. But I didn’t. I am showing a commendable degree of restraint, if I do say so myself. *S*
@Greg:
Spare us your ridiculous, disingenuous protestations. The subject is not what was discussed in the conversation that McConnell was having with his campaign staff, but the criminal act of illegally recording a private conversation. Just as the subject of the Watergate break in was never about what was in the documents that the burglary was to obtain. Your arguments in support of Morrison are in trouble so you are unsuccessful trying in desperation to change the subject to what was recorded. We aren’t going to let you wiggle off the hook.
@Ditto:
He KNOWS.. and Recording from outside or UNDER a CLOSED door etc, is the same as bugging.. and any SANE person would get that.. so we know what Greg isn’t…..
@Greg:
526.010 Definition.
The following definition applies in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: “Eavesdrop” means to overhear, record, amplify or transmit any part of a wire or oral communication of others without the consent of at least one (1) party thereto by means of any electronic, mechanical or other device.
526.020 Eavesdropping.
(1) A person is guilty of eavesdropping when he intentionally uses any device to eavesdrop, whether or not he is present at the time.
(2) Eavesdropping is a Class D felony.
WHAT PART OF THIS do you NOT UNDERSTAND Greg????? Why is it, you LIBS, will never simply ADMIT, when you BREAK THE LAW???? Cowards? Or is it a Mental issue? Narcissism?? Feel YOU are somehow ABOVE the laws WE have to follow?? What?
@Ditto: They could have plotting someone’s murder and it wouldn’t make a difference as to the eavesdropping. We’ll see what the grand jury decides. If they don’t indict him, the prosecutor probably needs to find another line of work.
@Hankster58:
The other option is complete control over others. The mindset is essentially the same as past monarchs and dictat5ors who believed they had to control everyone for the good of the state. James I of England writing in “The Law of a Free Monarchy” believed that nobles should not be held accountable under the law whereas “subjects” should. Thomas Hobbes writing in “Leviathin” believed that people had to surrender their liberties to the state in exchange for security and once they gave them up, they couldn’t get them back. Fast forward to the 20th Century and there was an obvious difference in applying the law in Nazi Germany and the USSR. Party members had one standard and everyone else had another. That is what the left truly desires. Their ideals are deeply rooted in philosophers such as Hobbes, Engels, and Marx. Put into practice and those philosophies become the governments of the Lenins, Hitlers, Stalins, and Mussolinis of the world. While they may not advocate mass killings of political opponents, they definitely advocate controlling or even suppressing their rights in order to consolidate their power. They have made it quite clear that we are a threat to them and are therefore their enemies.
another vet
adding to it and they are also our enemies and they proved it openly
with their SCANDALOUS ACTIONS,
SEE BENGHASI MASSACRE still not punish accordingly, , SEE THE IRS outrageous spending and vicious threat to the good AMERICANS FAMILY with questions fit for HITLER REGIME toward the CONSERVATIVES
who want to follow the LAWS OF AMERICA and demanding their rightful deductions on the TAXES,
SEE THE JOURNALIST being check in his back like hypocrite HOLDER is who made him look like a SPY,
while he lies to his teeths.
see the MILITARY at a war zone being denied a hot meal, and being threatened and order to hide their CHRISTIANITY,
see the VETS in hospital being cut SERVICES BY WORKERS PUT ON FURLOW,
see THE VETERAN BACKLOG ONTHEIR DUE MONEY WHO ARE DELAYED 5YEARS,
what money are they suppose to use,
@ilovebeeswarzone: You are correct, they are using as many means as possible to silence any and all opposition to the Party. I was just talking to a DoD civilian from the Reserve unit that I last went to Iraq with and the civilians there are having their work week cut by one day without pay. I’d like to know if they are cutting people belonging to a federal employees’ workers’ union by one day a week. They do heavily support the Party you know.
@Ditto, #36:
McConnell’s people should go ahead and prosecute. Then we’ll see what all the subject becomes.
I’ll say the same for the IRS issue. Go ahead and start pulling threads, and we’ll see what all unravels. If the IRS really was engaging in politically motivated scrutiny, they may also have taken very close looks at members of Congress and their major supporters. Do you think it would be possible to focus public attention on such close looking, while simultaneously keeping totally under wraps what it was they were looking at?
People are so damn sure the Obama administration is corrupt top to bottom, while their own side is lily white and pure as newly fallen snow. I don’t think that’s the way things are. I don’t think that even comes close.
@Greg: Using your argument, there never should have been an investigation into Watergate, the Iran Contra Affair, or the lead up to Iraq War because the Dems aren’t lilly white either. There is a thing called checks and balances. That was a premise behind this country having three distinct branches of government. You don’t want it applied to your side. See my comments in #40 because this type of mindset is part of what I was referring to.
Old Greg.. reduced to trying to protect to most rotten Administration there ever was……
As to “prosecuting”.. well, since Obama has HIS people “investigating themselves” (Holder vs Holder! LOL!) and REID there to STONEWALL anything like an Impeachment… you know it’s darn near impossible… don’t you you worthless troll…
Hiding behind the LOOPHOLES, that they themselves DETEST.. well, when it’s AGAINST them anyways!! LOL!!! TWO FACED LIBS……
Gee, you guys HATED Wall Street during the Campaign.. Now you PRAISE IT, as “proof” Obama is going good…. LOL!! TWO FACED yet again!!
I could go on, but with a oh so willing to pucker up troll like you… what’s the use…. REALITY, could walk up, introduce itself to you, then punch your lights out, and you’d STILL say it didn’t happen…
Greg, you’re a pathetic Joke… Done with you.. why don’t you hang with people more your IQ level…. I hear Romper Room has a seat open….
@another vet: #44 AGREED!!! Greg here.. will SWEAR Nixon should have gone down.. BUT.. will give OBAMA a free pass for the SAME ACTIONS….. two faced libs.. sick in the head.
@another vet: #40….You see it clearly….
The issue will remain what the charges are, Greg. Unlike any socialist “end worth the means”, our courts don’t work that way and you’re smart enough to know that. You know very well that evidence for any unrelated supposed crime, achieved/collected via illegal means (i.e. original crime), is thrown out.
Please don’t tell me you are attempting some moral high ground here, Greg. The Dems and their sundry non profits.. and that most especially includes Organizing for America.. are just as nervous about IRS close scrutiny. That is why most are on board with the concern about the IRS power. They know that it can be turned against them in the future, with any established precedent.
The sooner that you figure out your best allies are your fellow citizens, and not your elected officials, the more all of us will accomplish.
@Greg:
As I already informed you, the FBI has notified Morrison that they are presenting charges against him to a Grand Jury. The FBI does not have a habit of assembling a Grand Jury unless they are rather confident that the suspect will be indicted. McConnell and his staff were the victims. Are you so ignorant about the Federal Courts system that you think that Mitch’s lawyers would serve as prosecutors? They will certainly be there to participate if called on, yet their main presence would be to prepare for the civil lawsuit that would follow a conviction.
The IRS issue is not even remotely relevant to this conversation. I suggest you post that in one of the discussions about the IRS scandal. I am not going to follow you along on your pathetic distractions.
Again, not relevant to this conversation.
@Ditto, #49:
Yeah, I see Mitch hobbling around doing his broken wing display. Anything to draw attention away from the unflattering content of the recorded conversation.
The GOP’s bigger problem is how to draw attention away from the fact that they’ve generally been worse-than-useless for the past four years, and show every indication of remaining worse-than-useless for the foreseeable future. Their single-minded obsession with getting Obama is beginning to look like some sort of mental disorder. Haven’t they figured out that it’s not working? If they don’t snap out of it, it’s probably going to cost them another national election. Which, at this point, is fine by me. I shudder to think what would happen to the country if these bozos were given free rein.
I’ll be amazed if this goes to court. I honestly hope it does. Otherwise we’ll have to listen to claims that the proper functioning of the judicial system has somehow been compromised by the Obama administration.
Greg
the REPUBLICANS ARE NOT IN POWER, stick to the DEMOCRATS they WON
and always poke the REPUBLICANS in the eye to cover their willing malfeasance
and their failure to advance the quality of life of the AMERICANS,
they instead make it worse for the PEOPLE who pay their earning and don’t even get to
have their say in determining the amount and who is worthy to get paid,
the OBAMA REGIME took over the GOVERNMENT and block the CONSERVATIVES on any
incentives for the citizens to profit, while they demonize them and blame them for his failure,
is that a way to run a COUNTRY UNIQUE LIKE AMERICA with the most TOLERANT AMERICANS
who give him a chance, too many times.
@Greg:
McConnell is going on about the duties of his office. and has said very little about the case, leaving that to the FBI.
Morrison on the other hand is whining like a baby about how he lost his job and needs financial help to defend himself. “Bwaaaaah!!!” He even set up for people to donate. I wouldn’t be surprised if you already chipped in a few bucks.