Feds Planted Bug In Philly Mayor's Office

From: "spiker" [VeteransRights] Feds Planted Bug In Philly Mayor's Office

Source:
NBC10.com
http://www.nbc10.com/

Feds Planted Bug In Street's Office
Mayor Says Bug Part Of Political Attack NBC News has confirmed that it was
federal investigators who placed an electronic device in Philadelphia mayor
John Street's office.
http://www.nbc10.com/politics/2541019/detail.html
[Photo]
http://images.ibsys.com/2003/1007/2538273_200X150.jpg
Mayor John Street

NBC News correspondent Pete Williams said that several sources confirmed to
him that the device was placed in the office by the U.S. government.

However, a law enforcement official cautioned that the presence of the bug
there does not necessarily mean that the mayor, himself, is under
investigation. Officials confirmed to NBC News it was put in place by
federal investigators, though they won't say specifically whether it was
the work of the FBI or another agency.

Williams said it was unclear if the surveillance was directly related to
two ongoing federal investigations in Philadelphia.

One current investigation involves a no-bid, $1 million-a-year
airport-services contract between the Street administration and a company
owned by the mayor's brother, Milton Street.

The other investigation is related to an alleged parking-ticket fixing
scandal involving more than 125,000 parking tickets between 1997 and March
2003. News of the federal parking-ticket probe first surfaced in March 2003.

The discovery of the hidden listening devices in Street's City Hall office
(in locations pictured, right) has touched off a political frenzy in
Philadelphia as the Justice Department refused to say publicly whether FBI
agents planted the contraption and Democrats suggested the bugging was
politically motivated.

Earlier Wednesday, Street's office said it believed the device may have
been planted by his Republican opponents.
"What the campaign does find incredibly curious is that the FBI could so
quickly leap to the conclusion that this was not related to the mayoral
campaign in any way, shape or form," said Street campaign spokesman Frank
Keel. "The timing of the discovery of these listening devices seems
incredibly strange, seeing that we are four weeks out of the election, and
we have a Democratic mayor ahead in the polls, and we are on the eve of the
first mayoral debate."

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said that with a mayoral election looming on
Nov. 4, the FBI had an "overwhelming duty" to tell the public what it knows
about the surveillance equipment, found Tuesday morning during a routine
sweep of Street's office by city police.
"I think given this extraordinary situation with four weeks to go in the
campaign, it is incumbent upon the FBI to say why they planted the device,"
said Rendell, adding he had no firsthand knowledge of the FBI's
involvement. "I think they've got an obligation to the people of
Philadelphia to tell why they planted it."

FBI spokesman Linda Vizi said the equipment was not connected to campaign
espionage, but she refused to say whether Street was being investigated or
whether the FBI planted the device. She also wouldn't explain how the FBI
could say so quickly that the device was not connected to the mayor's race.

A spokeswoman for Rendell, Kate Philips, said the governor had spoken to
Street about the bugging, and the mayor said law enforcement sources had
informed him that the bugs were planted as part of a federal probe. Street
also told Rendell that he had been informed that he was not the
investigation's "specific target," Philips said.

Street's campaign suggested the bugging could have been instigated by the
Bush administration.

Asked directly whether he was suggesting that a Republican-controlled
Justice Department had bugged Street's office for political reasons, Keel
said:
"Do we believe that the Republican Party, both at the federal level and
state level, is pulling out every stop to get Pennsylvania in 2004?
Absolutely. Is the Republican Party capable of dirty tricks? I think that
is well documented."

In a news conference Tuesday, Street called the discovery "a huge matter of
concern."
"The question that ultimately will get raised in the minds of some people
is who's investigating the mayor's office?" Street said. "Well, in response
to that question, I want to assure the people of this city that this mayor
is not being investigated. I have done nothing wrong."

Officials would not say where in the office the device had been found or
how long it was believed to have been in place.

Philadelphia city prosecutors had nothing to do with the bugging, said
Cathie Abookire, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Lynne Abraham.

Article: How Did Investigators Get Permission To Bug The Mayor?
http://www.nbc10.com/politics/2541139/detail.html

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