An October Surprise For Harry Reid

If Eric Holder's DoJ had pulled this stunt on a Republican it would be outrageous.  However, since some truthseekers (and Bush deadenders?!?) in Oklahoma City leaked confidential files to Fox News to whack Harry Reid, my outrage is diminished a bit.  Their lead:

An aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid repeatedly lied to federal immigration and FBI agents and submitted false federal documents to the Department of Homeland Security to cover up her illegal seven-year marriage to a Lebanese national who was the subject of an Oklahoma City Joint Terror Task Force investigation, FoxNews.com has learned.

Yike!  She was not charged; Fox provides plausible speculation:

"I don’t honestly know the reason why they chose to prosecute [faux-husband] Bassam and not her,” said Jeffrey Byers, Tarhini’s criminal attorney.

“I don’t think they could’ve prosecuted the case without one of the two of them saying something, but I suspect they chose to work with the American citizen other than Bassam.”

It could certainly be that simple - the Feds wanted to button down the case against Tarhini so they cut a deal with the "wife".

For a comic take, check out the AP "coverage" - in their telling a Reid aide has left, but there is no FBI involvement and no terrorism investigation.  And let's have a "to be fair" moment - the AP cites a criminal complaint, but Fox cites both that and other interviews.  Maybe the FBI involvement was kept out of the complaint; if not (IF NOT), then the AP is covering for Harry, and you can only imagine my surprise.  From the AP:

A federal criminal complaint filed against Tarhini in Oklahoma in July 2009 says Tejada and Tarhini were married in September 2003, while they were both students at Oklahoma City College. The complaint said Tarhini, a Lebanese citizen from Beirut, entered the United States in 2000 on a student visa to attend the school.

Two months after getting married, Tarhini registered to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States, the complaint said.

The complaint said an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official interviewed Tejada in November 2008, and she withdrew a visa petition for Tarhini.

Neither Fox nor anyone I can find has posted the criminal complaint online; Fox offered the wedding license, from which we learn that the case number is

Case: 5:08-cv-01074R  Filed 10/07/08

What kind of world are we living in when rabid bloggers can't even dredge up a Federal filing?  My PACER account and skills have lapsed, regrettably.

Andlet me just tweak the invaluable Andrew Malcom of the LA Times, who wrote this:

Court documents show that Tejada, who has worked for Reid for the past two years, knowingly filed false documents with Homeland Security, lied on multiple occasions to FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and submitted false marriage and immigration documents.

Is that what the court document show?  Fox didn't say precisely that, and the AP took a different line.

As to an FBI involvement, Fox includes details such as this:

In 2008, sources with knowledge of the case told FoxNews.com, the FBI — working with the Oklahoma City Joint Terrorism Task Force — sent what’s called a collateral request to ICE, asking them to track down Tejada to interview her about Tarhini.

At this point, Tarhini was a subject of interest in an Oklahoma JTTF investigation, sources said.  

In May or June 2008, a source told FoxNews.com, Tejada was interviewed by ICE and FBI agents in Washington, and she maintained that her marriage was legitimate.

In October 2008, Tejada began working for Reid.

On Nov 3, 2008, ICE and FBI agents re-interviewed Tejada in Washington, according to documents and interviews.  This time, sources said, agents presented a slew of evidence against her and Tarhini, and Tejada broke down and confessed that her marriage was a lie, carried out to get Tarhini U.S. residency.

According to court records, she also told authorities that she and Tarhini had never dated nor consummated their marriage.

Fox cites documents, interviews, and court records, so the public record may not include the FBI link.  Or it might.

Tarhini's lawyer seems to confirm some FBI involvement:

Following Tarhini’s arrest in 2009, he was interviewed by FBI agents who sources say asked about his ties to extremists groups.

Some sources said they determined he did not have ties to any terror group, but other sources close to the case said that could not be ruled out.

“Not all of my cases involve the FBI,” said Tarhini’s immigration attorney, Timothy Lee Cook. “Certainly, there was something out there that caught their attention.”

When asked what that might be, Cook said:  “FBI’s not going to tell anybody that. And believe me, I asked.

As to what did Harry know and when did he know it, he is currenty going with the 'I'm clueless and out of control' defense.  Is that plausible?  Hmm:

The highest level of management inside the Department of Homeland Security was aware that she worked for Reid, multiple sources confirmed, and following protocol, the majority leader should have been informed of the investigation through those channels, as well.

One would think the word would have been passed.

AND ELSEWHERE:  MSNBC leans backward for Harry Reid with a story attributed to staff and wire services:

The Fox News report said the 28-year-old Tejada lied to authorities to cover up her marriage to 37-year-old Bassam Mahmoud Tarhini. But the report said Tejada was never charged with a crime.

Lied to "authorities"?  Fox News said she lied to ICE and the FBI; in many people's minds, lying to the FBI is a bigger deal than lying to the immigration people. Maybe we can get Patrick Fitzgerald and Scooter Libby to opine. (Sorry, thinking of PACER is causing flashbacks...)

 

 

Comments

[Melinda Romanoff]

And Joe Manchin of WV may have some issues of his own, in the form of new Grand Jury subpoenas.

[MarkO]

I remember little Billy Clinton scolding us and claiming he had to get back to the people's business. Harry was just too busy to pay attention to the small stuff.

[Extraneus]

But for Reid, we’d be in world-wide depression.

[MarkO]

Well, I'm depressed. Why not everyone else?

[Melinda Romanoff]

MarkO-

Get un-depressed..

[Clarice]

Pajamas Media says Boxer's in trouble too for failing ro list a million dollar home as an asset and never mentioning 7 countrywide mortgages.

[bunkerbuster]

That's gotta be the most impotent October surprise ever...

[MarkO]

Melinda to the rescue.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Spicoli wakes!

[Army of Davids]

Barbara Boxer...Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee may have ethics challenges of her own.

[Danube of Thought]

Then there's AG Conway in Kentucky tipping his brother to a drug investigation.

[Danube of Thought]

Minus 15 at Raz today.

[hit and run]

Libs http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/us/politics/24cable.html>outrageously outraged that Republicans are given a fund raising platform on Fox News. MSNBC president says they don't do that on his channel:

Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, and others strenuously object to the idea that Fox and MSNBC are opposite sides of the same coin. “Show me an example of us fund-raising,” he said in a recent interview.

So Phil issues the challenge . . . and http://johnnydollar.us/files/101024challenge.php>Johnny Dollar accepts.

You won't be surprised by Johnny Dollar's findings,but maybe Phil will be.

[narciso]

The difference is no one watches Schultz, except Hoft and Newsbusters, so it's the 'tree falling in the forest' problem

[Dave (in MA)]

In a lame attempt at a local October Surprise, the Globe is http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2010/10/26/treasurer_candidate_polito_has_the_edge_on_low_number_sox_plates/?page=1>going after Rep. Karyn Polito (R-Shrewsbury) because a lot of low-numbered Red Sox license plates went to her family, friends and supporters.

She filed a bill to have the Registry of Motor Vehicles issue a Red Sox plate with proceeds from a special surcharge going to the Jimmy Fund, but the Registry requires at least 1500 orders before they'll issue a special plate, so she asked her circle of family and friends for help. !!!Oh NOES!!!

Good move, attack a candidate for getting people to support an anti-cancer charity drive too early. That's a winner right there.
(The 'R' is not a typo. We actually have a few of those in MA.)

[Steve]

THANK YOU for posting this!

I really like your blog!!

Steve
common cents
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com

[Tom Bowler]

Speaking of October surprises, take a look at this supposedly brutal head stomping by Rand Paul supporters and tell me if you think it wasn't staged. The victim, Lauren Valle, smirks almost as happily talking about it afterward as NPR CEO Vivian Schiller did when she said Juan Williams needed to keep his feelings between him and his psychiatrist.

I don't believe it's real.

[maryrose]

I agree Tom. This is to counteract the true fact that Conway covered for his brother twice by tipping him off that the police were on his trail for drug abuse.

[Dave (in MA)]

I don't believe it's real.

Either way, they should locate and prosecute the offender. If it was staged, even better.

[Jim Ryan]

Obama is coming here (Charlottesville) to try to save Perriello by GOTV amongst those Dem drones who "don't really follow politics." It will work because there are drones here who will now vote Tuesday because Zero is so cool and came visit them.

Robert Hurt is ahead a few points. This is going to be a nail biter of a cliff hanger.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Via Instapundit:

SUSPICIONS OF FRAUD IN NEVADA: “Voter Joyce Ferrara said when they went to vote for Republican Sharron Angle, her Democratic opponent, Sen. Harry Reid’s name was already checked. Ferrara said she wasn’t alone in her voting experience. She said her husband and several others voting at the same time all had the same thing happen.”

[maryrose]

Jim Ryan:
Let's hope Obama proves to be his usual"Kiss Of Death " to the campaign of Perriello. Wasn't this race a cliffhanger, recount one in 2006?

[NK]

THIS is a big EFFIN DEAL if Reid had pals lean on the Feds not to indict his 'aide'. If this is just another Immigration scam, the scandal there is that we treat our immigration laws with such contempt that it's not a big deal.

[Jim Ryan]

Yes, maryrose, the Obama tide unseated the longstanding Cong Goode (R) in 2008. Now Perriello is coasting on incumbency.

[Janet the tea-vangelist!]

Totally agree NK.

[Frau Skandal]

Having Baba Boxer on the Select Committee on Ethics is rich, she the Queen of Senate the House Banking Scandal.

[Frau Skandal]

Arghhhh... Queen of the House banking scandal. Who knows, she may have already worked on something in the Senate.

[Rob Crawford]

Bubu's the resident expert on impotence, so we should listen to him on the Reid story.

[daddy]

Steve,

Tell you what. I am glad you really like our Blog as you've told us before, but after posting the exact same phrase 300 'effing times, do you think you could either shut up or change your robot's verbiage?

[glenda]

daddy...

how are things in your backyard? Have the un-enlightened come back from the dark side (Murkowhatever)?

[Melinda Romanoff]

Big Gov't drops another one in.

O'Keefe has tapes of a union official talking about voter fraud.

Pretty damning stuff.

[Pagar]

"Either way, they should locate and prosecute the offender. "

Over at Legal Insurrection, William Jacobsen has a good followup on the Gulf of Paducah incident.

"Indeed, the mainstream media has refused even to report about how Congressman Maurice Hinchey recently assaulted a reporter who was asking questions about Hinchey's possible conflicts of interest."

[rse]

Apparently Sandra Day O'Connor is making robocalls in support of some Nevada ballot initiative on how they pick judges.

Plus she was the deciding vote today on the 9th Circuit throwing out Arizona's voter ID law.

Apparently the perjury penalties are deemed sufficient protection.

[boris]

Paul volunteer ordered to court for scuffle

The volunteer with Rand Paul's Republican U.S. Senate campaign who stepped on the head of a liberal activist and pinned her face to the concrete said Tuesday the scuffle was not as bad as it looked on video and blamed police for not intervening.

"I'm sorry that it came to that, and I apologize if it appeared overly forceful, but I was concerned about Rand's safety," Tim Profitt told The Associated Press.

A judge will decide whether Profitt should face criminal charges.

HT Althouse.

The Paul campaign banned the volunteer from future events and a judge will determine whether to proceed with charges.