Jawa's Theory on O'Keefe: He Wanted to Discover if Landrieu Had Shut Off Her Phones to Prevent Her Office From Receiving Calls From Angry Constituents
Close But Wrong; Real Intent Revealed (?)

Hmmmm...

Since everyone else is running with their smears, hopes, fears, rampant wild speculation (a lot documented at Patterico's site), etc., I thought I'd throw our what I think is a somewhat reasonable theory as to what James O'Keefe and company were doing in Sen. Landrieu's office.

Looking at the affidavit, I noticed an interesting fact on page 2, section 6:

BASEL requested to be given access to a telephone in the office, and WITNESS 1 allowed him access to the main telephone at the reception desk. WITNESS 1 observed BASEL take the handset of the phone and manipulate it. BASEL also tried to call the phone with a cellular phone in his possession. He stated that he could not get through.

Now. If Basel is telling the truth, then it lends credence to the fact that people calling the reception desk telephone at Landrieu's office could also not get through to the main phone.

As such, I am postulating that the group was trying to document (with video camera) that Landrieu's office had either disconnected or re-routed the phones to deflect incoming calls - hence, why they couldn't get through. There have been anecdotal reports that Landrieu's office has received complaints that it has been inaccessible by phone, particularly around the time when she was bought off by the Democrats for the now-infamous Louisiana Purchase.

I don't think that would even be "interference" with phone lines -- in as much as he wasn't trying to interfere with, or even change or even touch, anything. Just photograph how her phone lines were routed.

Could be a penny-ante trespassing charge or some kind of mischief beef. But if that's the case, if Jawa's right, then seems like a fairly minor misdemeanor.

Actual Intent: According to MSNBC...

the men, led by conservative videomaker James O'Keefe, wanted to see how her local office staff would respond if the phones were inoperative. They were apparently motivated, the official says, by criticism that when Sen. Landrieu became a big player in the health care debate, people in Louisiana were having a hard time getting through on the phones to register their views.

That is, the official says, what led the four men to pull this stunt -- to see how the local staffers would react if the phones went out. Would the staff just laugh it off, or would they express great concern that local folks couldn't get through?

Well... that's a problem for them, then, because that is a technical violation of the "interference" law, even if it's brief, even if it's for purpose of a stunt.

Even if it's for purpose of journalism.

posted by Ace at 07:38 PM

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