The news of the moment involves the arrest of James O’Keefe (of ACORN video fame) in what the FBI is describing as an attempt to bug a district office of Louisiana Sen. Landrieu.

According to the FBI affidavit, Flanagan and Basel entered the federal building at 500 Poydras Street about 11 a.m. Monday, dressed as telephone company employees, wearing jeans, fluorescent green vests, tool belts, and hard hats. When they arrived at Landrieu’s 10th floor office, O’Keefe was already in the office and had told a staffer he was waiting for someone to arrive.

When Flanagan and Basel entered the office, they told the staffer they were there to fix phone problems. At that time, the staffer, referred to only as Witness 1 in the affadavit, observed O’Keefe positioning his cell phone in his hand to videotape the operation. O’Keefe later admitted to agents that he recorded the event.

After being asked, the staffer gave Basel access to the main phone at the reception desk. The staffer told investigators that Basel manipulated the handset. He also tried to call the main office phone using his cell phone, and said the main line wasn’t working. Flanagan did the same.

I think it’s a bit dubious as to whether they were actually trying to bug the office. Where would they get a bug?  That seems so over the top.  I could be wrong, though.

Given the fact that several of them entered while dressed up as telephone repair men, I can’t help but wonder if this story is related:

United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today announced more than $12 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture funds for the Northeast Louisiana Telephone Company in Collinston, Louisiana. The funds made available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act can be used to bring broadband services to rural un-served and underserved communities.

Did O’Keefe suspect a bribe?  Was Robert Flanagan, also involved in the incident and the son of a U.S. Attorney for western Louisiana, privy to some information about a possible investigation into Landrieu, which they were hoping to scope?  Though they weren’t actually in northeast Louisiana, so this might be a bit of a stretch.  The timing just caught me as suspicious.

Speculations aside, none of this can excuse their actions.  Whatever it turns out they were doing, it was incredibly stupid.  With this single reckless move, he has cast doubt on the exposure of ACORN’s corruption and alternative conservative journalism as a whole.

Update: Andrew Breitbart denies any knowledge of this event on behalf of Big Government

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