Street Says Wiretap Didn't Target Him
Mayor Says Bug Part Of Political Attack
Philadelphia mayor John Street says the U.S. attorney's office has informed a Street advisor that the mayor isn't the target of a federal investigation that included the bugging of his City Hall office.
In a statement, Street said that his friend, prominent attorney Arthur Makadon, "spoke with the United States Attorney's Office to inquire about listening devices discovered in my office. They advised him that I am not a target of any federal investigation."
Makadon is the chairman of Ballard, Spahr, Andrews and Ingersoll, a Philadelphia law firm where Ed Rendell worked before he became Pennsylvania's current governor.
"I've never believed that I was the target in any investigation," Street told NBC 10 Wednesday night. "My integrity is very important to me. I've been in this business for 25 years, and I'm relieved that people don't have to be concerned that I'm any way a target of any investigation."
Street said earlier Wednesday he wanted the federal government to explain to him everything it knows about his office being bugged, but a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office says the feds weren't keeping any secrets.
The spokesman, Rich Manieri, says federal prosecutors explained very clearly to the mayor and his lawyer what the mayor's status is in the matter.
Earlier Wednesday, Street said for the second day that he didn't know who bugged his office, or why.
Also Wednesday, three federal law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press said the FBI planted the bug.
But the three are refusing to comment on whether Street is a target of an investigation -- or to provide any details about the nature of the probe.
NBC News also confirmed that it was federal investigators who placed an electronic device in Philadelphia mayor's John Street office.
NBC News correspondent Pete Williams said that several sources confirmed to him that the device was placed in the office by the U.S. government.
However, a law enforcement official cautioned that the presence of the bug there does not necessarily mean that the mayor, himself, is under investigation. Officials confirmed to NBC News it was put in place by federal investigators, though they won't say specifically whether it was the work of the FBI or another agency.
Slideshow: Reaction To The Federal Wiretap Of Mayor's Office
Williams said it was unclear if the surveillance was directly related to two ongoing federal investigations in Philadelphia.
One current investigation involves a no-bid, $1 million-a-year airport-services contract between the Street administration and a company owned by the mayor's brother, Milton Street.
The other investigation is related to an alleged parking-ticket fixing scandal involving more than 125,000 parking tickets between 1997 and March 2003. News of the federal parking-ticket probe first surfaced in March 2003.
The discovery of the hidden listening devices in Street's City Hall office (in locations pictured, right) has touched off a political frenzy in Philadelphia as the Justice Department refused to say publicly whether FBI agents planted the contraption and Democrats suggested the bugging was politically motivated.
Earlier Wednesday, Street's office said it believed the device may have been planted by his Republican opponents.
"What the campaign does find incredibly curious is that the FBI could so quickly leap to the conclusion that this was not related to the mayoral campaign in any way, shape or form," said Street campaign spokesman Frank Keel. "The timing of the discovery of these listening devices seems incredibly strange, seeing that we are four weeks out of the election, and we have a Democratic mayor ahead in the polls, and we are on the eve of the first mayoral debate."
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said that with a mayoral election looming on Nov. 4, the FBI had an "overwhelming duty" to tell the public what it knows about the surveillance equipment, found Tuesday morning during a routine sweep of Street's office by city police.
"I think given this extraordinary situation with four weeks to go in the campaign, it is incumbent upon the FBI to say why they planted the device," said Rendell, adding he had no firsthand knowledge of the FBI's involvement. "I think they've got an obligation to the people of Philadelphia to tell why they planted it."
Article: How Did Investigators Get Permission To Bug The Mayor?
E-Mail Our Newsroom: What Do You Think Of The Feds Bugging Mayor Street's Office?
FBI spokesman Linda Vizi said the equipment was not connected to campaign espionage, but she refused to say whether Street was being investigated or whether the FBI planted the device. She also wouldn't explain how the FBI could say so quickly that the device was not connected to the mayor's race.
A spokeswoman for Rendell, Kate Philips, said the governor had spoken to Street about the bugging, and the mayor said law enforcement sources had informed him that the bugs were planted as part of a federal probe. Street also told Rendell that he had been informed that he was not the investigation's "specific target," Philips said.
Street's campaign suggested the bugging could have been instigated by the Bush administration.
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? I think that is well documented."
U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, the top federal prosecutor in Philadelphia, declined to say what federal agents knew about the bug, but said in a prepared statement that politics plays no role in his office's decisions.
"The U.S. Attorney's office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has a long and proud history of doing its work without regard to partisan politics. That was the practice of my predecessors, and it is my practice as well," Meehan said.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said he turned the matter over to the FBI, and declined to answer questions about it at a news conference Wednesday morning on an unrelated matter.
He said routine security sweeps of the mayor's office have been going on for decades. A sweep done in June did not turn up anything suspicious, Johnson said.
An aide to Street, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said more than one microphone was found and that all were within the mayor's office suite.
Tuesday's discovery comes near the end of a heated mayoral campaign. Street beat Republican challenger Sam Katz four years ago by less than 10,000 votes in this city of 1.5 million. Polls also show a neck-and-neck race in this year's campaign.
In August, someone tossed what might have been an unlit firebomb through the window of a Katz campaign office. An aide to Street and a former city employee were charged with making threats after getting into a confrontation the same day. Supporters of Street, who is black, have accused supporters of Katz, who is white, of race baiting.
Katz called the bugging discovery "breathtakingly shocking." His campaign denied having anything to do with it.
In a news conference Tuesday, Street called the discovery "a huge matter of concern."
"The question that ultimately will get raised in the minds of some people is who's investigating the mayor's office?" Street said. "Well, in response to that question, I want to assure the people of this city that this mayor is not being investigated. I have done nothing wrong."
Officials would not say where in the office the device had been found or how long it was believed to have been in place.
Philadelphia city prosecutors had nothing to do with the bugging, said Cathie Abookire, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Lynne Abraham.
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Feds Bug Mayor Street's OfficeSlideshow: Reaction To The Federal Wiretap Of Mayor's Office
Williams said it was unclear if the surveillance was directly related to two ongoing federal investigations in Philadelphia.
One current investigation involves a no-bid, $1 million-a-year airport-services contract between the Street administration and a company owned by the mayor's brother, Milton Street.
The other investigation is related to an alleged parking-ticket fixing scandal involving more than 125,000 parking tickets between 1997 and March 2003. News of the federal parking-ticket probe first surfaced in March 2003.
The discovery of the hidden listening devices in Street's City Hall office (in locations pictured, right) has touched off a political frenzy in Philadelphia as the Justice Department refused to say publicly whether FBI agents planted the contraption and Democrats suggested the bugging was politically motivated.
Earlier Wednesday, Street's office said it believed the device may have been planted by his Republican opponents.
"What the campaign does find incredibly curious is that the FBI could so quickly leap to the conclusion that this was not related to the mayoral campaign in any way, shape or form," said Street campaign spokesman Frank Keel. "The timing of the discovery of these listening devices seems incredibly strange, seeing that we are four weeks out of the election, and we have a Democratic mayor ahead in the polls, and we are on the eve of the first mayoral debate."
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said that with a mayoral election looming on Nov. 4, the FBI had an "overwhelming duty" to tell the public what it knows about the surveillance equipment, found Tuesday morning during a routine sweep of Street's office by city police.
"I think given this extraordinary situation with four weeks to go in the campaign, it is incumbent upon the FBI to say why they planted the device," said Rendell, adding he had no firsthand knowledge of the FBI's involvement. "I think they've got an obligation to the people of Philadelphia to tell why they planted it."
Article: How Did Investigators Get Permission To Bug The Mayor?E-Mail Our Newsroom: What Do You Think Of The Feds Bugging Mayor Street's Office?
FBI spokesman Linda Vizi said the equipment was not connected to campaign espionage, but she refused to say whether Street was being investigated or whether the FBI planted the device. She also wouldn't explain how the FBI could say so quickly that the device was not connected to the mayor's race.
A spokeswoman for Rendell, Kate Philips, said the governor had spoken to Street about the bugging, and the mayor said law enforcement sources had informed him that the bugs were planted as part of a federal probe. Street also told Rendell that he had been informed that he was not the investigation's "specific target," Philips said.
Street's campaign suggested the bugging could have been instigated by the Bush administration.
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? I think that is well documented."
U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, the top federal prosecutor in Philadelphia, declined to say what federal agents knew about the bug, but said in a prepared statement that politics plays no role in his office's decisions.
"The U.S. Attorney's office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has a long and proud history of doing its work without regard to partisan politics. That was the practice of my predecessors, and it is my practice as well," Meehan said.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said he turned the matter over to the FBI, and declined to answer questions about it at a news conference Wednesday morning on an unrelated matter.
He said routine security sweeps of the mayor's office have been going on for decades. A sweep done in June did not turn up anything suspicious, Johnson said.
An aide to Street, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said more than one microphone was found and that all were within the mayor's office suite.
Tuesday's discovery comes near the end of a heated mayoral campaign. Street beat Republican challenger Sam Katz four years ago by less than 10,000 votes in this city of 1.5 million. Polls also show a neck-and-neck race in this year's campaign.
In August, someone tossed what might have been an unlit firebomb through the window of a Katz campaign office. An aide to Street and a former city employee were charged with making threats after getting into a confrontation the same day. Supporters of Street, who is black, have accused supporters of Katz, who is white, of race baiting.
Katz called the bugging discovery "breathtakingly shocking." His campaign denied having anything to do with it.
In a news conference Tuesday, Street called the discovery "a huge matter of concern."
"The question that ultimately will get raised in the minds of some people is who's investigating the mayor's office?" Street said. "Well, in response to that question, I want to assure the people of this city that this mayor is not being investigated. I have done nothing wrong."
Officials would not say where in the office the device had been found or how long it was believed to have been in place.
Philadelphia city prosecutors had nothing to do with the bugging, said Cathie Abookire, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Lynne Abraham. Copyright 2003 by NBC10.com The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
