Before Caper, O'Keefe And Co. Crashed At House Of Activist 'Mentor'

[DearAbby]

A 28-year-old Loyola law school student and conservative activist named Ben Wetmore has emerged as the Fifth Beatle of the Landrieu phone-tampering case.

Wetmore, who hired alleged phone tamperer James O'Keefe at the Leadership Institute a few years back to help launch conservative media outlets on college campuses, this month offered up his New Orleans house as a crash pad for O'Keefe and co-defendants Joseph Basel and Stan Dai, the New York Times reports.

The Leadership Institute is a conservative group dedicated to fostering alternative newspapers on college campuses -- including the papers of two of the four defendants in the Landrieu case.

The AP has the details on Wetmore and on how the four defendants spent their days in New Orleans before the Landrieu episode, down to the drinks each ordered while watching the Saints win the NFC Championship on Jan. 24 ("Dai preferred Maker's Mark bourbon ...").



More:http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/ben_wetmore_put_up_okeefe_and_friends_before_landr.php

[Historic NY]

1. Amateur WH plumber want-a-be's...now defendants.

[SpiralHawk]

2. Is Ben Wetmore a pal of Diaper Dave Vitter?

The National Enquirer will want to unwrap this potential, um, RRR*

* Rancid Republicon Relationship

[yellowcanine]

3. Aiding and Abetting a Felony? Waterboard him!

And if any illegal drugs were involved confiscate his house and car as well.

[SpiralHawk]

4. Waterboard Wetmore?

The ultimate Republicon solution...for 'truth'

[glitch]

5. So now it's a caper?

Is that slightly more offensive or slightly less offensive than prank?

[SpiralHawk]

6. Oh those wascawwy wepubwicans - what wonderfwy whacky chawacktahs

[glitch]

7. lol! :) nt

[blogslut]

8. Read the comments on that TPM entry

Mr. Wetmore joined just to tell me not to pay attention to his Twitter ramblings!

[Kingofalldems]

9. Keith will be all over this one--tonight's show is a must watch