Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Mayor's Office Bugged By The FBI-

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 19:42:17 -0400

Mayor's Office Bugged

PHILADELPHIA-October 8, 2003 — Philadelphia Mayor John Street's campaign suggests
that the bugging of his office was politically motivated. But the FBI is insisting
that the discovery of a listening device found in the mayor's City Hall office
yesterday had nothing to do with the upcoming election.

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VIDEO: Michele McCormack details laws surrounding covert listening devices Action
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The surveillance equipment, which authorities have declined to describe, was found
Tuesday morning during a routine sweep of Street's office by city police. Street,
who is seeking re-election, quickly sought to reassure city residents that he was
not the subject of an investigation.

FBI spokeswoman Linda Vizi refuses to say whether the bureau placed a surveillance
device in the mayor's office, nor will she say how the F-B-I was able to conclude
so quickly that the device was not connected to the mayor's race.

Street's campaign spokesman, Frank Keel, is questioning the timing of the
discovery.

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?" Keel said, "I think that is well documented."

Asked at a news conference about the FBI's conclusion, Street said he didn't know
how they could eliminate any possibilities or "rule anything in or out." A
spokesman for U-S Attorney Patrick Meehan did not immediately respond to Keel's
suggestions of political foul play.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson declined to answer questions
about the bugging at a news conference this morning on an unrelated matter. He
said the routine security sweeps of the mayor's office have been going on for
decades.

A Street aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, says more than one microphone
was found and that all were within the mayor's office suite.

Last Updated: Oct 8, 2003

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