California to investigate ACORN videos

Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown's office plans to look into circumstances surrounding both the making of the videos and any possible misdeeds by ACORN employees in California caught on tape.

<snip>

Brown's office plans to look into circumstances surrounding both the making of the videos and any possible misdeeds by ACORN employees in California caught on tape.

<snip>

It is illegal under state law to tape someone without his or her permission.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-acorn2-2009oct02,0,5150787.story

An ethics watchdog group in Washington, D.C. is asking Louisiana’s Office of Disciplinary counsel to investigate whether Sen. David Vitter, R-La., should be disciplined for his 2007 admission of a “very serious sin in my past” related to his phone number appearing on a list compiled by a Washington prostitution ring.

<snip>

“Sen. Vitter’s zeal to see ACORN criminally investigated for offering advice in setting up a prostitution ring reminded me he has yet to be held accountable for his own role in a prostitution ring,” said Melanie Sloan, CREW’s executive director. “While ACORN’s conduct is indefensible, so is Sen. Vitter’s and what is good for the goose is good for the gander.”

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/09/sen_david_vitter_subject_of_co.html

BALTIMORE — Community activist group ACORN is suing the makers of a hidden-camera video that showed employees of its Baltimore office giving tax advice to a man posing as a pimp and a woman posing as a prostitute.

The liberal group contends that the audio portion of the video was obtained illegally because Maryland requires two-party consent to create sound recordings.

<snip>

The multimillion-dollar lawsuit seeks damages from James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, who played the pimp and prostitute in the videos, and from conservative columnist Andrew Breitbart, who posted the videos on his Web site.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5goHmEoyYhLPQ7xhPuFBAM-gBjbUAD9AT8VMO4

"ACORN should be held to the same high standards of every other government contractor," says Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Florida. "But there are bigger fish to fry."

<snip>

Contractor KBR installed electrical wiring in Iraq that led to electrocution deaths of US soldiers. One such death, of Green Beret Sgt. Ryan Maseth, was classified by the Army Criminal Investigations Division as a "negligent homicide," though the Pentagon ruled it would not pursue criminal charges.

<snip>

Asked for comment, Issa spokesman Kurt Bardella told ABC News, "frankly, I don’t know how anyone can successfully argue those who actually perpetrate fraud and misuse taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be held to a more scrutinized standard. But if people want to start a crusade defending federal dollar recipients who have committed fraud and mismanaged taxpayer dollars – they are welcome to make that case to the American people. For far too long, recipients of federal dollars have been given free reign and some have acted in a reckless and cavalier way and whether it be ACORN or anyone else – abuse and fraud will not be tolerated."

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/will-house-defund-acorn-bill-defund-military-contractors.html

TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

PART I--CRIMES

CHAPTER 119--WIRE AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS INTERCEPTION AND
INTERCEPTION OF ORAL COMMUNICATIONS


Sec. 2515. Prohibition of use as evidence of intercepted wire or
oral communications

Whenever any wire or oral communication has been intercepted, no
part of the contents of such communication and no evidence derived
therefrom may be received in evidence in any trial, hearing, or other
proceeding in or before any court, grand jury, department, officer,
agency, regulatory body, legislative committee, or other authority of
the United States, a State, or a political subdivision thereof if the
disclosure of that information would be in violation of this chapter.

Is illegally obtained evidence permissible for congress to use for legislative purposes?

"or other authority of the United States, a State, or a political subdivision thereof"

Will take it's toll.

He will be impartial and follow the law.

for starters.