Suspicious Burglary at Offices of Attorney for State Department Whistleblower
Hmmmmmm. Multiple break-ins at the offices of a lawyer for a State Department whistleblower. Unlocked office across the hall with valuables left untouched. Lawyer says it has to be related to his client’s case.
Hmmmmm.
(Is it worth remembering at this point that Glenn Greenwald had a suspicious burglary occur at his residence in Rio in which a laptop was stolen and nothing else — two days after telling his partner that he was going to send him encrypted documents from Ed Snowden? Which he says he ultimately did not send, by the way. Yes, I think it is worth remembering that.)
I love this line from Ed Morrissey’s post: “State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki categorically denied that the break-in was connected in any way to the State Department.”
Was that before or after she categorically denied that John Kerry was on his boat?
A categorical denial from Jen Psaki . . . that’s almost as good as an admission, isn’t it?
Ouch. And yes.
Former Conservative (6e026c) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:08 amDon’t forget the mysterious hacking of CBS’s Sheryl Atkisson’s computer.
rrpjr (8d7015) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:13 amSome call it mysterious. Others call it techno-fascist surveillance police state.
Former Conservative (6e026c) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:15 amThey want and love these stories to be out there. It feeds the fear and they hope it makes other whistleblowers, journalists and those who help them think twice about publicly crossing the administration. This is psychological warfare.
elissa (0e6049) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:21 amNot State Department, but Obama’s version of CREP: OFA(y).
Rob Crawford (e6f27f) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:37 amIIRC, the break-in at Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office was among the impeachment charges against Nixon. It truly is farce.
Kevin M (bf8ad7) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:42 amRob, that was CREEP. Really.
Kevin M (bf8ad7) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:43 amHolder’s black bag people are about as competent as G. Gordon Liddy.
I think the odds of Obama, by the end of his term being impeached just went up 10%.
SPQR (768505) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:51 amI think the NSA is trying to assist the Administration. Maybe NSA has adopted the new Oath of Allegiance that West Point adopted. They no longer swear “to support and defend our Constitution” but to “support the Constitution …and bear true allegiance to the National Government.” This is truly a frightening change in allegiance.
JoyO (8874bf) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:55 amis there a kind of burglary that isn’t suspicious?
redc1c4 (403dff) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:01 amRob, that was CREEP. Really.
Mad Magazine satirized it as the Committee to Reelect the American President — CRAP.
JVW (23867e) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:04 amSPQR,
Yup, and I am waiting for the inevitable news that OFA had access to NSA and/or IRS info on Republicans
Kevin M (bf8ad7) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:05 amFrom the Hot Air post:
For his part, Schulman agrees, saying that the burglary wasn’t “professional enough.” He tends to think that this was an amateur attempt to damage the case by a supporter of Barack Obama and/or Hillary Clinton.
Because the burglars at the Watergate Complex were soooo professional, right?
JVW (23867e) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:06 amThey actually doubled the ‘e’? I stand corrected, and a little surprised.
That would be news?
Rob Crawford (e6f27f) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:10 amI think part of the myth is that it was a routine practice.
Which it was — for the Kennedys.
Rob Crawford (e6f27f) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:11 amIt is worth remembering that Glenn Greenwald CLAIMED to have a suspicious burglary, and has a proven integrity problem.
Just sayin’.
In the Schulman case, I would hesitate to claim ‘they were too amateur to be professional’. A professional might do something to make it seem like an amateur was there (though I would think the most likely move of that kind would be to steal something to make the break-in appear to be a burglary).
Schulman’s claims are believable and not sensational as far as I know, so I don’t want to suggest she’s been dishonest. but I would be careful about resting anything important on Greenwald’s word.
Dustin (303dca) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:23 amMy country is creeping me out.
Sarahw (b0e533) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:35 am[musing] If Kerry wasn’t on the boat (that is, his being on the boat was a cover story) then could the story be that Kerry was the burglar?
htom (412a17) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:37 amIn which the intruder didn’t attempt to access any of the financial information.
The cyber version of leaving the valuables untouched.
Steve57 (7c82fc) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:50 amI’m shocked; shocked, I say!
Ghost (996b5a) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:59 amIs anyone else besides me disappointed our government agencies aren’t more adept at making their burglaries look more like actual burglaries?
Sure, steal the laptop. But at least steal the jewelry, the cash, and the drugs, too.
Steve57 (7c82fc) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:08 amSure, steal the laptop. But at least steal the jewelry, the cash, and the drugs, too.
Leave the gun; take the cannoli.
JVW (23867e) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:13 amThe State Department’s ridiculous back and forth over Kerry’s uncertain presence on his yacht during the crisis in Egypt raises vague and disturbing suspicions about the sudden critical illness of his moneybags wife.
I’m reminded of the sudden suspicious death of Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko (Natalie Wood) on her husband’s yacht almost 32 years ago.
ropelight (3a876d) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:14 amSteve57–they don’t want them to look like actual burglaries. They want these breakins to be viewed as specifically targeted intimidation to warn off other whitleblowers and reporters who might be thinking of going off the reservation. If it could be reasonably mistaken as an actual burglary it would defeat half the purpose of the creep.
elissa (0e6049) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:16 amBrace yourselves for a sudden sharp uptick in the Arkacide rate. If the past is prelude for the future, we’re in for a brisk few months leading up to the mid-terms. Just Sayin’
ropelight (3a876d) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:21 amelissa, we’re going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I think the message is plenty clear if every single time a reporter is robbed of all the pawnable or fencible items in his hotel room as opposed to just the laptop when the reporter is writing about something the gub’mint doesn’t like.
“Not only will we steal your work, we’ll clean out your bank account. Have a nice day.”
Did you have a good fourth?
Steve57 (7c82fc) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:28 amOh, I’m certain that if the State Department was somehow involved, they’d never have told the lovely Miss Psaki, and she wouldn’t want to know about it anyway.
To become a government spokesmule. you must sell your soul. Miss Psaki knew that, but probably thought she was selling her soul to an angel. Of course, Lucifer was an angel, too.
The Dana who trusts Miss Psaki (3e4784) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:29 amOf course, had this really been the Chicago Way, they’d have just shot the whistleblower.
The accurate Dana (3e4784) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:33 am“Of course, had this really been the Chicago Way, they’d have just shot the whistleblower.”
No, she’d be next to Jimmy Hoffa.
Mike K (dc6ffe) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:35 amComing soon, to a stadium near you.
Concrete encased whistleblowers.
Steve57 (7c82fc) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:41 am“elissa, we’re going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I think the message is plenty clear if every single time a reporter is robbed of all the pawnable or fencible items in his hotel room as opposed to just the laptop when the reporter is writing about something the gub’mint doesn’t like.”
Steve57 – We’re going to have to disagree again. Here a message was not sent to a reporter like Sheryl Atkisson as it has in the past directly by White House personnel and DOJ personnel and potentially through the computer intrusion. It was not the illegal intimidation of a whistleblower through threat or demotion as we have seen in Fast and Furious and Benghazi. Fedenisn had already been threatened directly by sending State Department investigators to her home within hours of her story breaking.
This time it was potentially something different, intimidation of legal advisors representing whistleblowers.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:56 amElissa’s explanation makes a lot of sense to me. Initially I was confused. Why would someone not take an easy step to cover their motives? It seems to me there are two good possibilities.
1) elissa’s theory that this is intended to send a clear message that whistleblowers cannot hide.
2) this is some kind of hoax intended to grab headlines.
Dustin (303dca) — 7/8/2013 @ 10:59 am==we’re going to have to agree to disagree on this one.==
That’s perfectly OK with me. And hey, it’s not for the first time and I’m guessing prolly won’t be the last time, either.
==Did you have a good fourth?==
I’ll assume you mean the recent holiday and not either the bridge game or the fourth inning of any of the baseball games we lost over that time frame. Beyond those elements, it was a thoroughly great long holiday weekend for me. Thanks for asking.
elissa (0e6049) — 7/8/2013 @ 11:03 am…and it is not remarkable that the dog did not bark in the night….
askeptic (b8ab92) — 7/8/2013 @ 11:13 ambesides which, that wasn’t my dog!
Comment by Kevin M (bf8ad7) — 7/8/2013 @ 9:05 am
Is there any other plausible reason why outsiders, even partisan outsiders, were kept out of “The Cave” in Chicago?
askeptic (b8ab92) — 7/8/2013 @ 11:16 amNew oath of allegiance at West Point:
No F’n way. You’re kidding, right?
Former Conservative (6e026c) — 7/8/2013 @ 11:37 amWe seem to be getting closer and closer to what millions died to defeat:
“Deutschland, Deutschland über alles…”
When we need to return to what we know:
askeptic (b8ab92) — 7/8/2013 @ 11:45 am“When in the Course of human Events….”
How convenient that DOJ’s FBI raced to the scene of a local burglary to take control of the investigation and details of what a whistleblower’s lawyer had taken from his office. Is this the new discovery process in action?
crazy (d60cb0) — 7/8/2013 @ 11:57 amSounds better in the original German, right?
The German-speaking Dana (3e4784) — 7/8/2013 @ 12:41 pmI will not point out how the West Point oath nonsense is Radley Balko type paranoia. Or is it Ale Jones? Whatever. If you’re stupid enought to fall for that BS, I prefer to let you give yourselves ulcers.
nk (875f57) — 7/8/2013 @ 1:30 pmIt’s not like the Pervert Party has a monopoly on idiots, but they sure do seem to have more of them than the right.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 7/8/2013 @ 2:02 pmJust when I think I’m out, they bring me back in;
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/07/new-part-2-video-interview-with-nsa-leaker-edward-snowden/#comments
narciso (3fec35) — 7/8/2013 @ 2:37 pmIt is like all so coincidental that all the bureaucratic snafus, accidents, and unfortunate happenings happen to the President’s enemies. Or whatever.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/8/2013 @ 3:48 pmThey actually doubled the ‘e’? I stand corrected, and a little surprised.
To be fair, the called it “CRP.” Everyone called it creep though and the name stuck. I guess they should be grateful Nixon wasn’t King, or it would have been CRK and called “crook”.
Kevin M (bf8ad7) — 7/8/2013 @ 3:53 pmNot surprising, but telling, that somebody asked State so soon.
Richard Aubrey (6c93a4) — 7/8/2013 @ 4:15 pmMethinks that the “Tree of Liberty” is beginning took very wilted and might be in need of some watering.
peedoffamerican (ee1de0) — 7/8/2013 @ 4:46 pmThis calls for a bipartisan investigation.
mg (31009b) — 7/8/2013 @ 5:10 pmhee haw.
Yes, we’re not really buying it:
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/07/08/resistance-u-s-weapons-to-syrian-rebels-frozen-as-house-senate-intel-committees-object-to-obamas-plan/
narciso (3fec35) — 7/8/2013 @ 5:14 pmMy country is creeping me out.
You aren’t the only one. It’s as though a series of crummy events keep occurring that call to mind the phrase of “life imitating art.” So there’s the growing dung heap of the NSA, IRS, DOJ, DOD (where male-on-male rape is increasing while the freedom of military chaplains to sermonize against same-sex marriage and GLBT is decreasing), suspicious burglaries, a corrupt White House, etc, etc.
Lingering over all of this is the very bizarre recent death of reporter Michael Hastings. I don’t know if I’d have been a big fan of his politics, but if he got into hot water with TPTB for merely trying to dig up the truth and exposing it, then he gets no complaints from me.
Why a San Diego news station is doing sleuth work on his very peculiar auto crash 120 miles to the station’s north (and where authorities in LA are being oddly tight lipped about things), is beyond me. The LA-based media, particularly the LA Times, must be too busy covering and rejoicing in same-sex marriages or another skirmish involving the Kardashians.
Mark (181c26) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:46 pmFrom the Hot Air link:
The rebels themselves are increasingly at each others’ throats, which raises the risk of U.S. weapons in “moderate” hands either being seized by Sunni jihadis or used against them in a rebel civil war instead of against Assad.
There are NOT at “each other’s” throats. There is some conflict with the group that is part of Al Qaeda. It seems to have been started by the Al Qaeda people. The big pproblem with the administration is hat they want the rebels to be united. This is iompossible, and unwise. The weapons SHOULD BE and NEED TO BE used in a second round of the civil war.
In the meantime the main body of rebels appears to be controlled by Saudi Arabia. Their candidate won the leadership role over one proposed by Qatar. But this is really all good cop and bad cop. Sausi Arabia also endorsed the
couprevolution against Morsi. But so did the extreme Islamcists in Egypt.Things are starting to get a little bit bad in Egypt. They’ve got to avoid killing people and hold elections sooner than next year.
Sammy Finkelman (a4dbab) — 7/9/2013 @ 5:43 amThe more motivated ones, Nusra, ahram, are Islamists, we’ve seen this movie, over and over again;
http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/08/anti-terror-activist-security-of-the-benghazi-embassy-was-farmed-out-to-an-al-qaeda-front-group-video/
narciso (3fec35) — 7/9/2013 @ 6:11 amThe lesson from Indonesia, is you need as long an interval as possible;
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/07/09/egypts-interim-president-sets-timetable-for-elections-in-early-2014/
narciso (3fec35) — 7/9/2013 @ 6:28 amWhy are these black bag workers never randomly caught and shot and reported on. That would be a feel good story for the ages.
luagha (a8c23d) — 7/9/2013 @ 9:21 amComment by Mark (181c26) — 7/8/2013 @ 8:46 pm
It is taking all of the intellectual firepower that the Fishwrap can muster to explain away the disaster that is The Lone Ranger.
askeptic (b8ab92) — 7/9/2013 @ 9:42 amLayers of fact checkers;
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/07/deleted-tweet-triggers-reports-on-snowden-asylum-decision/#comments
narciso (3fec35) — 7/9/2013 @ 10:20 amWell it looks like he’s singing for his supper southward;
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/09/3491736/report-nsa-spied-on-colombia-mexico.html
narciso (3fec35) — 7/9/2013 @ 8:53 pm