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Fallin says suspect worked in her office
He started out as an unpaid intern and worked his way toward a temporary paid position.
CONNECTED
Robert Flanagan
and U.S. Rep Mary Fallin: The congresswoman has confirmed that Flanagan, who is charged in an alleged scheme to gain access to a U.S. senator's telephones, interned for her.
By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
Published: 1/28/2010 2:31 AM
Last Modified: 1/28/2010 4:46 AM
WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin's office confirmed Wednesday that Robert Flanagan, who was arrested and charged as part of an alleged scheme to gain access to a U.S. senator's telephones, worked in her office last year.
Still, press secretary Katie Bruns said the Oklahoma Republican remains a co-sponsor of a congressional resolution honoring one of the other suspects for previous efforts to go undercover and gain information on the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, or ACORN.
Neither Fallin nor her office offered any comment on the specific criminal charges facing Robert Flanagan, 24; James O'Keefe, 25, who was behind the ACORN video; Joseph Basel, 24, and Stan Dai, 24.
Fallin had been reluctant to confirm that Flanagan was her former employee.
Bruns said the Department of Justice had been unable to provide Fallin's office with official identifying records such as date of birth and Social Security number.
She confirmed his identify after a mug shot surfaced.
When asked whether the Flanagan who worked for the congresswoman had access to sensitive material sent in by her constituents, Bruns responded no.
"All interns in Congresswoman Mary Fallin's office are responsible for maintaining general front-office duties, including answering phones, conducting and scheduling tours of the Capitol, logging and writing office correspondence, and a variety of other administrative assistant tasks," she said.
Bruns said neither Fallin
nor anyone else in her office knew Flanagan or his family before he was hired or the others allegedly involved.
According to news reports, Flanagan's father is an acting U.S. attorney in Louisiana.
Bruns said Flanagan, who interned in Fallin's office from Aug. 18, 2008, through April 30, 2009, started out as an unpaid intern and worked his way toward a temporary paid position.
"He was compensated $1,000 a month over four months for a total of $4,000," she said.
According to information provided from the investigation in Louisiana conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, the operation was designed to gain access to the New Orleans office of Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., on Jan. 25.
Despite the new charges, Fallin still wants to be listed as a co-sponsor of the resolution honoring O'Keefe.
"The resolution is completely unrelated to the events that transpired in Sen. Landrieu's office on Tuesday," Bruns said.
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., also is listed as a co-sponsor.
Cole said, "Initial reports of these new allegations are troubling, but they don't negate ACORN's numerous faults or detract from the positive outcome that resulted from their exposure."
Rep. Pete Olson, R-Texas, who introduced the resolution honoring O'Keefe, said violating the law is "not something I condone."
"Citizens have an important role in helping to expose waste and/or fraud when their tax dollars are being spent, but it must be done in a lawful manner," Olson said.
Jim Myers (202) 484-1424
jim.myers@tulsaworld.com
By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
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Comments
Report Comment
Elusive
,
somewhere
(7 months ago)
There is certainly more to this story than tw has provided. From what I have heard the 3 men were in the process of shooting another video showing that Sen. Landrieu's office to show the phone is not answered, no charges of wire tapping have been filed.
Report Comment
Tony G
,
Tulsa
(7 months ago)
Bugging a senators phone is quite illegal.
These are the supposed heroes of the right wing?
So--now its OK to wire tap, as long as you think you can use the information against the opposing
party?
Next question, is Fallin involved?
Report Comment
my view
,
Sand Springs
(7 months ago)
These four individuals have to be the most stupidest people around, a little ahead of the leftest.
Cuttin Up,
They haven't been charge with wiretapping yet, look for Fox to spend much more time on it as more charges are filed. They won't spend as much time as MSNBC. If you want to hear more, I'm sure you are already tune in to that network.
Report Comment
fld11
,
(7 months ago)
Nothing like a little pre-election scandal to kick things off. Where's her OHP man when you need him?
Report Comment
Eagle 4
,
Tulsa
(7 months ago)
Ah, another hero for the Reicht Ving, martyred for the Cause - 'cause we don't want no stinkin' democrats! Fallin has just risen a notch in the eyes of the Rednecks. Shades of Nixon. Vive la Tea Party!
(Pssst! I'm sure it's just another Liberal hoax, aren't you?)
Report Comment
Ignatz
,
after 50 years in OK, a nice town in Texas
(7 months ago)
Have to wonder how many more crazies work for Fallin.
Report Comment
bluedog1
,
(7 months ago)
They jumped on the resolution to grab the immediate grandstanding position, usually what politicians do when they have no other offer of leadership. Anyone who wants to honor hit and run covert operations to expose Acorn or anyone else instead of just doing an investigation of the files and facts are morans. The filming of low paid ACORN office staff, who probably laughed when the Pimp Star and his Prostitute actress left the stage, is cheap and will not do much in court. Our Rep. honored that and wants to be Governor! ACORN needs to be eliminated but by other ways.
Report Comment
my view
,
Sand Springs
(7 months ago)
What brought Nixon down was the crime then the cover up, both were wrong. I won't defend either.
Report Comment
my view
,
Sand Springs
(7 months ago)
I should have said 'neither' not either.
Report Comment
horatio
,
BROKEN ARROW
(7 months ago)
Shouldn't interns be from Oklahoma?
Report Comment
cobweb
,
(7 months ago)
Oh good! Another religious extremist nut running for governor. I'm sure this was totally innocent.
Report Comment
just passing through
,
(7 months ago)
So far they have not been charged with a crime? It has only been two days or so.
Saaaayyyy.... How many ACORN workers have been charged with a crime? So far: None. Is that because they did not break any laws?
Report Comment
just passing through
,
(7 months ago)
Since the early 1970's or late 1960's the Feds have been cautious about who enters Federal buildings. You had really better be there on real business.
The laws it looks like these guys will be charged under were put in place while Nixon was President. People were coming into Federal buildings to see if they could uncover any wrong doing on the part of Senators and Reps. After it was discovered that Nixon himself was involved in the bugging of his 'enemies' those that said there was wrong doing in the Government did not look so dumb.
The Right-Wing then said people like this should be thrown in jail for the rest of their lives. Now the Right-Wing calls these people Heros.
Time changes everything.
Report Comment
true2form
,
Grand Lake
(7 months ago)
Somewhere, Richard Nixon is smiling.
Report Comment
just passing through
,
(7 months ago)
The story being floated now is that they were there to disable the phone and not to bug it. They wanted to see what the Senators people would do if the phone stopped ringing. (???)
Apparently the phone in this office was constantly busy and people could not get through. It was busy because groups of people were calling non-stop to make it busy since they were upset witht the Senator for her vote on the Health Care Bill, or so another story goes.
The Senator has five offices in the state. Her constituaints could not call one of the other four offices? Of couse they did. The only phone being tied up was the number given out to people who were told to call and harass the Senator about her vote. (Or so the story goes.)
Hopefully as the days go by the entire truth of the matter will come out.
Regardless of all of this: Entering Federal property under false colors is a Felony and has been for many years.
Report Comment
Angry Citizen!
,
Bluejacket
(7 months ago)
So an arsonist who burns down my home may get 5 years in jail and a $10,000- fine, but eavesdrop on an elected official doing shady stuff and you're going away for decades with a $250,000- fine? Man it's good to be a Washington Aristocrat!
Report Comment
just passing through
,
(7 months ago)
Yes, it is good to be a person with access to sensitive material that could damage the security of the United States. There is no shortage of people willing to pay big bucks to know what is said over a secure telephone line when a US Senator is on one end and the President of the United States is on the other.
That is why spies and domestic terrorist are sentenced to life in Prison, and why the punishment for Treason is death.
Report Comment
Thunder196
,
Tulsa
(7 months ago)
There is a lot more to this story. I always thought Mary Fallin was good at 'cover' stories.
Report Comment
Angry Citizen!
,
Bluejacket
(7 months ago)
So these kids are terrorists? Criminals? Like Bill Ayers?
Report Comment
Rettop15
,
(7 months ago)
Fallin-gate.
Just another soccer mom.
"Fallin had been reluctant to confirm that Flanagan was her former employee." Well, that's not the same thing as discussing allegations against him.
There's just something wrong with her smirky, crooked, "I know something you don't know" smile. I'll be voting to send her back to selling real estate.
Report Comment
just passing through
,
(7 months ago)
As far as punishment for disclosing sensitive material...
A fellow named Walker tipped off the Russkies about some of the US most sensitive spy equipment and what it was capable of. His information destroyed an operation know as "Ivy Bells", which was the tapping of a Russian military phone line by a US Submarine.
If the Russians had caught the Sub in the act the cost to the US would have been a Sub crew (100+souls?), and a $1,000,000,000 Submarine. As it was all the Russians found were the taps, so the cost to the US in dollars was only about $50,000,000.
The cost to Walker himself was life in prison. One of his partners in crime received 365 years. Walker is elegible for parole in 2015 if you wish to go to his hearing and speak up in his behalf.
If there is a Hero in any of this trepassing case it is the GSA employee who said, "Let me see your telephone company ID."
So what really tripped O'Keefe up was a section of the Patriot Act requiring anyone entering a Federal Building to have the proper ID.
It just gets weirder.
Report Comment
just passing through
,
(7 months ago)
Bill Ayers was convicted of a crime?
(Hint: The answer is No.)
Ayers claimed to have set dozens of bombs. His story falls apart when anyone tries to find out just when and where they were.
It is highly possible that Ayers is all mouth, but as far as him being a criminal... No convictions, so no criminal past.
This is part of something called 'The Justice System'. O'Keefe will soon be able to tell us all about it.
Report Comment
just passing through
,
(7 months ago)
The "Ivy Bells' operation was OK'ed by President R. Reagan. I only mention this since I am sure it will come up.
Report Comment
mayor_maynot
,
Tulsa
(7 months ago)
it's beginning to look like a bad prank. One that went way too far. And now that it's time to put on the little serious hats well that hat won't fit on their heads anymore.
Report Comment
bluedog1
,
(7 months ago)
They wanted to edit another film to try to discredit the Senator so Falling!and others could grandstand again with an honor resolution!Acorn will probably win their case. They need to be audited and scrutinized for other things.
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