Andrew Breitbart's long national nightmare is over.
As David Weigel reports on his WashingtonPost.com Right Now blog:
Fox News reporter Eric Shawn reports that videographer James O'Keefe's legal nightmare over accusations of phone tampering in a senator's office will end with a misdemeanor plea. O'Keefe is known for his hidden-camera exposé targeting ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).
Originally, O'Keefe faced much more potentially serious charges. At the time of the arrests, the U.S. Attorney's office claimed O'Keefe and three others [acting suspiciously in Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D-La.) district office] were in the process “of committing a felony.” But federal prosecutors never made the supposed “felony” clear, and the lesser misdemeanor plea of entering federal property “under false pretenses” is expected to spare O'Keefe and his co-defendants any jail time.
Now O'Keefe can open up his costume trunk and get back to work for Breitbart.
For those just tuning into the story, some background after the jump.
- California Attorney General: Breitbart's ACORN tapes were “severely edited”
- Who to believe, N.Y. prosecutors or Breitbart?
- James O'Keefe and the myth of the ACORN pimp
- Breitbart says of O'Keefe's crew: “Give 'em a misdemeanor. They didn't do anything wrong”
- Media Matters' Frisch: “What did Breitbart and Fox News know and when did they know it?”
- The increasingly lame defenses of James O'Keefe
- Contradicting Breitbart conspiracy theory, O'Keefe says “no complaints” about how US attorney is handling case
- Breitbart's conspiracy theory involves U.S. attorney, ACORN, Eric Holder and a plot to persecute James O'Keefe
- Not-so-Breitbart and the story of James O'Keefe
- Why did so many conservatives accuse O'Keefe of trying to “bug” Landrieu's office?
- O'Keefe and his cohorts' record of dishonesty
- James O'Keefe, the face of “conservative journalism”
- Big Falsehoods: A guide to Andrew Breitbart's lies, smears, and distortions
- With O'Keefe arrest, Breitbart develops newfound appreciation for “facts”
- Why does Breitbart insist O'Keefe must “prove himself innocent”?
- Breitbart says arrest not related to BigGovernment, but he's paying alleged phone interference* plotter O'Keefe “a fair salary”
- O'Keefe's three alleged accomplices: Conservative activists Dai, Basel and Flanagan
- Interviewed with alleged accomplice, O'Keefe offers advice to youngsters: “The more bold you are, the more opportunities will be open to you”
- Andrew Breitbart's assault on journalism
- “ACORN videos were propaganda”
- In LA video, O'Keefe and Giles expose their own dishonesty
- After aggressively promoting ACORN videos, Fox News ignores reports of Blackwater bribes
- In “heavily edited” video rebuttal, O'Keefe does not dispute Philly police report filed after his visit to ACORN office
- Hannity, Breitbart lead conservative media fundraising for activist videographers sued by ACORN
- LA Times report further undermines ACORN videographers' credibility
- Police report filed by ACORN exposes false claims by individuals behind videos
- Fox News reports fake murder story from ACORN video as fact