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January 27, 2010

TPM examines group linked to men arrested in alleged Senate office plot

By CREW Staff

Corruption, Ethics, States, Louisiana, Senate Members, Mary Landrieu

This week's arrests in New Orleans of four people for allegedy trying to bug the office phone system of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) have led TPMMuckraker to examine an organization that it believes could be "key to the story."

Located at 400 Poydras St. in downtown New Orleans -- half a block from Landrieu's office at 500 Poydras St. -- [the Pelican Institute] describes itself as a state policy think tank dedicated to advancing "sound policies based on the principles of free enterprise, individual liberty, and limited government."

James O'Keefe, the conservative filmmaker behind the ACORN stings who has been charged in the Landrieu case, was scheduled to give a talk at Pelican last Thursday on "Exposing Truth: Undercover Video, New Media and Creativity."

... Another of the charged men, Robert Flanagan, works for Pelican, his attorney told the Times-Picayune. Flanagan allegedly dressed up a telephone repairman to infiltrate Landrieu's office.

In August 2008, the Wall Street Journal published this profile on the Pelican Institute, noting that the group wants state legislators to focus on "better government transparency, lower corporate taxes and improved schools."