US Attorney Mysteriously Recuses Himself From James O’Keefe Case

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by Glynnis MacNicol | 10:35 am, February 2nd, 2010

» 6 comments

Expect this to turn into a much bigger story very quickly. Yesterday, a U.S. Attorney Jim Letten (a holdover from the Bush administration, according to Rachel Maddow) recused himself from the James O’Keefe case for “various relevant factors” that have yet to be disclosed in detail (though not for long one imagines!). O’Keefe, you probably know, was arrested last week with three others for allegedly tampering with the phones in U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu’s New Orleans office. Last night he appeared on Hannity to declare the entire thing was a “‘a huge misunderstanding” though he refused to detail why.

Here’s where it might get interesting. It’s possible that Letten’s recusal has something to do with the fact one of the men who was arrested along side O’Keefe was Robert Flanagan who is the son of William Flanagan, who is the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. It’s also very tenuously possible it may have the slightest of connections to the Obama administration: Apparently, there is also other action surrounding Letten that, as far as anyone knows has nothing to do with this case. Rachel Maddow reports that LA Senator David Vitter had placed a hold on Obama’s nominees for the position until he go assurances that Letten would retain his, which he received yesterday. The plot thickens! More from Maddow below (MSNBC is perhaps overly interested in all thing O’Keefe!).

ACORN, Andrew Breitbart, David Vitter, fox news, Hannity, James O'Keefe, Jim Letten, msnbc, New Orleans, Rachel Maddow

The Real Royal King

I wonder if this is related to last night’s appearance? What a ridiculous thing that was!

The recusal is certainly odd, involving as it does a Bush era federal attorney and, tangentially, at least, Senator Vitter. Who would have ever thought he would be away from a Happy House long enough to do anything, however odious, in the Senate?

I suspect that this will be mundane in the end, but it is great fun, isn’t it, to speculate upon a Great Rights Cabal involving Vitter, the RNC and FOX News?
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

@TRRK: The AP wire story about the recusal was published in the wee hours of yesterday morning, so it was hours before the kid appeared on Hannity and any way you look at it, a poor choice by a defendant shouldn’t negatively effect a prosecutor, anyway.
The Real Royal King

You are absolutely correct, Magister. There is something much deeper and far more disturbing about this episode than any of us now know. Prosecutorial recusals are rare. Something stinks.
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

Note (because I hadn’t read the piece since yesterday): The story about the recusal was originally published at 5:30 AM (Central) and it was updated with the Hannity quote at 9:30 PM
Duc du Berry

The kids father is a prosecutor, he’s probably friends with the recused attorney, or at least moves in the same circles. Move along people, I don’t think there is much of a conspiracy here.
elizadavid

If this is true we should start throwing these prosecutors in jail without the benefit of representation. The left knows no decency; giving rights to terrorists who do not warrant them and denying them to American citizens who do.

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