Mother Jones bugged McConnell's office?

[Misty]

"McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton said Tuesday that the campaign is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney's office in Louisville to uncover who recorded a Feb. 2 meeting in Kentucky – attended by McConnell himself -- which was published earlier today by the liberal magazine Mother Jones."

McConnell campaign alleges Judd discussions were bugged, seeks FBI investigation - First Read

 

[waltky]

McConnell wants FBI probe on 'secret tape'...

McConnell says secret audio is ‘Nixonian’ partisan attack, calls for FBI probe
9 Apr.`13 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said partisan attacks are behind audio published Tuesday morning by liberal news website Mother Jones of the Kentucky Republican privately discussing his 2014 re-election campaign with aides.

“Last month they were attacking my wife’s ethnicity, and then apparently unbeknownst to us at the time they were bugging our headquarters, a quite Nixonian move. This is what you get from the political left in America these days,” McConnell told reporters at a Capitol Hill press conference Tuesday. The audio and transcripts—billed as a "secret tape" by Mother Jones Washington Bureau chief David Corn—show the McConnell camp discussing how to use potential Democratic challenger Ashley Judd's religious beliefs and history of depression against her in a campaign. The actress announced March 27 that she would not be a candidate for the Senate, citing family obligations.

McConnell's team believes Mother Jones obtained the tape illegally and has asked the FBI to investigate. Mother Jones released a statement Tuesday saying the tape is from a source who wished to remain anonymous and that the news outlet was not involved in making it. "Senator McConnell’s campaign is working with the FBI and has notified the local U.S. Attorney in Louisville, per FBI request, about these recordings," Jesse Benton, McConnell's campaign manager, said in a statement. "Obviously a recording device of some kind was placed in Senator McConnell’s campaign office without consent. By whom and how that was accomplished presumably will be the subject of a criminal investigation.”

Benton added, "We’ve always said the Left would stop at nothing to attack Sen. McConnell, but Watergate-style tactics to bug campaign headquarters are above and beyond." Less than two hours later, the McConnell campaign was fundraising off the incident. "Liberals and their media allies have hit a new low in their smears against our campaign, wiretapping our field office to spy on us ... I need your help to fight back against these illegal and underhanded tactics," Benton wrote in a fundraising email. Mother Jones said it gave McConnell's office a chance to respond to the tape before it was published but didn't hear back.

MORE

 

[Old Rocks]

Yep. Nixonian. Kind of like Watergate. Unfair to be caught.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

A private security company swept the building, no "bugs" were found.

This is almost certainly an "inside job" by someone present at the meeting. Blaming "the left" is just McConnell's way of avoiding commenting on the contents of the tape.

 

[Truthseeker420]

Didn't Mitch McConnell sponsor the bill to secretly wire tap Americans? Hypocrite.

 

[American_Jihad]

Liberals Learn to Love Wiretapping


April 9, 2013
By Daniel Greenfield

Twenty-four years after Nixon’s resignation, Democratic Congressman Jim McDermott presented a recording of House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s cell phone conversation. The same media which had busily pretended that Watergate was the worst political scandal in American history cheered this bout of wiretapping because it was carried out by Democrats.

It then took another 10 years for McDermott to settle the case. And unlike Nixon, McDermott did not resign.

The last few years have seen an upsurge in Democratic wiretapping and similar illegal tactics. Sarah Palin’s email was hacked by the son of a Democratic Tennessee politician. The media widely made use of the contents of the email, just as the New York Times ran excerpts of the Gingrich phone intercept.

Obama apparently attributed his victory to a recording of Mitt Romney at a campaign event, though that’s just because it fits his class warfare narrative. And now we have the media broadcasting a recording from Mitch McConnell.

...

But if we’re going to have a political culture of wiretapping then it won’t stop with liberals recording conservatives. Sooner or later it’s going to go both ways.


Liberals Learn to Love Wiretapping | FrontPage Magazine

 

[JakeStarkey]

This is clearly a false flag operation by McConnell's staff to intimidate any big name Democrat to get in the race.

Somebody in McConnell's employ will out him. Politicians simply don't get other people are as smart or smarter.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Mother Jones bugged McConnell's office?

Another rightwing liar.

Seems pathological among conservatives.

 

[Misty]

A private security company swept the building, no "bugs" were found.

This is almost certainly an "inside job" by someone present at the meeting. Blaming "the left" is just McConnell's way of avoiding commenting on the contents of the tape.

"Okay, but Benton also says this: "It wasn't a leak," the spokesman has said, noting that the meeting in question went down "in a very private, closed, locked conference room. These are people who have been with McConnell for years. This was like a family meeting."

Washington Post

 

[JakeStarkey]

A private security company swept the building, no "bugs" were found.

This is almost certainly an "inside job" by someone present at the meeting. Blaming "the left" is just McConnell's way of avoiding commenting on the contents of the tape.

"Okay, but Benton also says this: "It wasn't a leak," the spokesman has said, noting that the meeting in question went down "in a very private, closed, locked conference room. These are people who have been with McConnell for years. This was like a family meeting."

Washington Post

Someone does not like the family dynamics, or someone was bought with significant money. Follow the cash.

 

[Misty]

Didn't Mitch McConnell sponsor the bill to secretly wire tap Americans? Hypocrite.

Hey truthseeker lol. Here is the truth. Seek it.



You're talking about FISA: *"The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" Pub.L. 95–511, 92 Stat. 1783, 50 U.S.C. ch.36) is a United States law which prescribes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign powers" and "agents of foreign powers" (which may include American citizens and permanent residents suspected of espionage or terrorism).[1] The law does not apply outside the United States. The law has been repeatedly amended since the September 11 attacks."

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


"McConnell spoke of his support for the recently passed update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act at the National Fraternal Order of Police's 58th Biennial National Conference and Expo at the Kentucky International Convention Center."

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20070814/NEWS01/708140420/McConnell-praises-wiretapping-law


"WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has signed into law a five-year extension of the U.S. government's authority to monitor the overseas activity of suspected foreign spies and terrorists.
The warrantless intercept program would have expired at the end of 2012 without the president's approval. The renewal bill won final passage in the Senate on Friday."

Obama Signs FISA Warrantless Wiretapping Program Extension Into Law


So FISA was originally enacted during Carter and repeatedly amended by both parties.*

 

[Misty]

Mother Jones bugged McConnell's office?

Another rightwing liar.

Seems pathological among conservatives.

Did you not see the question mark?????????

 

[Truthmatters]

poor McConall

I bet he ends up not much liking the results

 

[Misty]

Yep. Nixonian. Kind of like Watergate. Unfair to be caught.

Nixon was never linked to the actual wiretapping. He was linked to a discussion of obstruction to investigate the act of wiretapping.

 

[Misty]

poor McConall

I bet he ends up not much liking the results

The results of having a private political strategy conversation illegally secretly recorded?

 

[Freemason9]

I can tell you EXACTLY what happened.

A staff member of McConnell's team was excited about the prospect of damaging Judd's credibility. The damaging details were discussed clearly and openly at the meeting--without much participation by McConnell. Although it was eventually decided that the material would not be used, a staff person recorded the conversation and "leaked" it to the media. By doing so, the campaign could assure that the damaging goods on Judd would be aired publicly without attaching McConnell to the mud slinging.

McConnell's an old pro at this stuff.

The meeting was most likely recorded by a staff person on their mobile device and given to a "reliable" connection for distribution to the media. When Judd announced her withdrawal--most likely after being contacted by this "reliable" connection, as a professional courtesy--there was no longer a reason to leak it.

HOWEVER, the original connection "leaked" it to a colleague that then gave it to MJ.

McConnell may want to drop the investigation--if MJ wants to do so, they can provide the original file that has device identifying data embedded in it. However, MJ has a sterling reputation when it comes to protecting sources, so McConnell will be able to "have his cake and eat it, too."

Old politicians like McConnell know how to play this game. He's a scoundrel for doing it, though.

And NO, there were no "bugs" placed there by MJ. MJ is perhaps one of the most professional and credible investigatory journals in the business. They don't need to do that crap, anyway, given the way information is distributed in the political realm. Someone always "leaks."

 

[theDoctorisIn]

poor McConall

I bet he ends up not much liking the results

The results of having a private political strategy conversation illegally secretly recorded?

If the conversation was recorded by a participant in the meeting, there would be nothing "illegal" about the recordings.

KY is a one-party consent state.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

A private security company swept the building, no "bugs" were found.

This is almost certainly an "inside job" by someone present at the meeting. Blaming "the left" is just McConnell's way of avoiding commenting on the contents of the tape.

"Okay, but Benton also says this: "It wasn't a leak," the spokesman has said, noting that the meeting in question went down "in a very private, closed, locked conference room. These are people who have been with McConnell for years. This was like a family meeting."

Washington Post

All signs point to "family" discord, then.

Of course McConnell's people will claim that it couldn't have been anyone there - because that's what they have to claim.

It's better publicity for them if they blame it on a shadowy conspiracy rather than own up to the fact they might have a traitor in their midst.

 

[Mr. Peepers]

You know, Mother Jones is a pretty respected and objective site / magazine - I've read it for a long time and respect their journalists as usually pretty truthful and straightforward with no bitchy bias, and they provide good sources. I doubt very seriously that they would risk their reputation by bugging a politician's office. The Inquirer? Yep, they would, but I just don't see MJ risking that.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Nah, MJ does not "bug" the Senate Minority leader's conference room: typical stupid reactionary conspiracy shit.

Somebody in the room taped it (1) as part of a programmed disinformation release, or (2) someone has been suborned in M's staff offices.